S. 141 (111th): Protecting the Privacy of Social Security Numbers Act

Introduced:
Jan 06, 2009 (111th Congress, 2009–2010)
Sponsor:
Sen. Dianne Feinstein [D-CA]
Status:
Died (Referred to Committee)
See Instead:
This bill was re-introduced as S. 1199 (112th) on Jun 15, 2011.

The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. S. stands for Senate bill.

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Status

This bill was introduced on January 6, 2009, in a previous session of Congress, but was not enacted.

Progress
Introduced Jan 06, 2009
Referred to Committee Jan 06, 2009
Cosponsors
3 cosponsors (2R, 1D) (show)
Committees

House Homeland Security

Senate Judiciary

The committee chair determines whether a bill will move past the committee stage.

Full Title

A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to limit the misuse of Social Security numbers, to establish criminal penalties for such misuse, and for other purposes.

Summary

No summaries available.

Text

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Last updated Jan 06, 2009.
36 pages

Primary Source

View on THOMAS (The Library of Congress)

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Citation

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GovTrack’s Bill Summary

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Library of Congress Summary

The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.

1/6/2009--Introduced.
Protecting the Privacy of Social Security Numbers Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the display, sale, or purchase of Social Security numbers without the affirmatively expressed consent of the individual, except in specified circumstances.
Directs the Attorney General to study and report to Congress on all the uses of Social Security numbers permitted, required, authorized, or excepted under any federal law, including the impact of such uses on privacy and data security.
Establishes a public records exception to the prohibition.
Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on Social Security numbers in public records.
Grants the Attorney General rulemaking authority to enforce this Act's prohibition and to implement and clarify the permitted uses occurring as a result of an interaction between businesses, governments, or business and government.
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to prohibit:
(1) the use of Social Security numbers on checks issued for payment by governmental agencies; and
(2) inmate access to Social Security account numbers.
Prohibits a commercial entity from requiring an individual to provide a Social Security number when purchasing a commercial good or service or denying an individual the good or service for refusing to provide that number, with exceptions.
Establishes civil and criminal penalties.
Extends civil monetary penalties for misuse of a Social Security number.
Provides for:
(1) criminal penalties under SSA title II for the misuse of a Social Security number;
(2) civil actions and civil penalties against persons who violate this Act; and
(3) federal injunctive authority with respect to any violation by a public entity.

House Republican Conference Summary

The summary below was written by the House Republican Conference, which is the caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives.

No summary available.

House Democratic Caucus Summary

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The bill contains the following citations to other parts of U.S. law:

United States Code

The United States Code is the compilation of permanent laws enacted by Congress. Temporary and other non-permanent laws do not appear in the United States Code. (About half of the United States Code is the law itself, called positive law. The other half is merely a compilation of the laws but has no legal significance.)

Other Citations

  • 5 U.S.C. Chapter 5
  • 18 U.S.C. Chapter 47