AB102: Bill Text

LRB-0663/1

CS/JTK/GM/RC/MS/MK:jld:jf

2007 - 2008 LEGISLATURE

2007 Assembly BILL 102

February 22, 2007 - Introduced by Representatives Schneider, Gunderson, Musser, Vruwink, Berceau, Sinicki, Parisi, Turner, Hilgenberg, Black, A. Williams, Molepske and Bies, cosponsored by Senator Roessler. Referred to Committee on Consumer Protection and Personal Privacy.

AB102,1,11 An Act to renumber 19.37 (4); to amend 59.20 (3) (d); and to create 19.36 (14), 19.36 (15), 19.37 (4) (b) and (c), 103.135, 134.44, 138.25 and 230.16 (12) of the statutes; relating to: prohibiting use of social security numbers on state civil service examinations, prohibiting requests by merchants for customers' social security numbers, posting certain personal information in government records on the Internet, prohibiting access to certain public records and employer records containing the social security numbers of individuals, prohibiting a register of deeds from recording certain instruments that contain more than a partial social security number, prohibiting the number of credit inquiries as a factor in credit reports, granting rule-making authority, and providing penalties.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Use of social security numbers on state civil service exams

The bill prohibits an applicant's social security number from being used for the purpose of identifying the applicant on any examination for a position in the state civil service system.

Requests by merchants for customers' social security numbers

Current law generally does not prohibit a seller from requesting that a customer disclose his or her social security number. This bill prohibits a seller of goods at retail from making such a request unless the seller is required to do so in issuing fish and game approvals as an agent of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Under current law, DNR is required to obtain the social security number from an applicant for a fish and game approval so that the state may determine whether the applicant is delinquent in the payment of certain state taxes or in the payment of child support or other court-ordered family support or birth expenses. If an applicant is delinquent or fails to provide his or her social security number, the agent must deny the application for the approval.

Posting of personal information in government records on the Internet

This bill provides that no state or local government officer or agency that maintains an Internet site may post on that site any public record containing the name of an individual together with any of the following information: 1) the individual's birth date; 2) the number of a driver's license issued to the individual by the Department of Transportation; 3) the telephone number at the individual's place of employment; and 4) the unpublished home telephone number of the individual. The prohibition does not apply to publication or electronic posting of a telephone number at an individual's place of employment by a governmental unit that is the employer of the individual. In addition, the prohibition does not apply to the posting of information that is required to be provided as a part of the sex offender registry program.

Currently, state and local government officers and agencies may post information in public records on the Internet unless access to that information is required to be withheld by law.

Access to certain public records containing social security numbers

Currently, the custodian of the records of any state or local governmental unit must provide access to any public record in his or her custody unless otherwise authorized or required by law or unless the custodian demonstrates that the public interest in withholding access to the record outweighs the strong public interest in providing access to that record. Federal law prohibits state and local governmental units from disclosing social security numbers under certain conditions.

This bill provides that, if a new record containing the social security number of an individual, together with information revealing the identity of that individual, is kept by a state or local governmental unit on or after January 1, 2009, or if a record in the custody of a state or local governmental unit is modified to insert the social security number of an individual on or after January 1, 2009, and the record contains information revealing the identity of that individual, the custodian of the record must delete the social security number before permitting access to the record by any person other than an officer or employee of the governmental unit, unless the person who requests access to the record is specifically authorized by federal or state law or by the subject individual to have access to the social security number.

The bill, however, permits the requester of a record to have access to the social security number of an individual, unless otherwise restricted by law, if:

1. The record pertains to that individual alone, to the marital or parental rights or responsibilities of that individual and his or her spouse or former spouse, to the property of that individual held jointly or in common with one or more other individuals, or to a civil lawsuit in which the individual is a specifically named party, and the individual provides appropriate identification; or

2. The requester is an authorized representative of an insurer or an organization that performs investigations for insurers and the social security number is relevant to an investigation of suspected, anticipated, or actual insurance fraud.

The bill provides that, if any person misrepresents his or her identity for the purpose of obtaining access to the social security number of another individual, the person is subject to a forfeiture (civil penalty) of not more than $1,000 for each social security number obtained by means of misrepresentation. In addition, under the bill, if any insurer or other person obtains a social security number and uses that number for purposes other than an investigation of suspected, anticipated, or actual insurance fraud, the person is subject to a forfeiture of not more than $1,000 for each social security number used by the person for unauthorized purposes.

The bill also provides that no state or local governmental unit may provide access to any record to which access is restricted that contains the social security number of an individual, together with information revealing the identity of that individual, to any officer or employee of the unit other than the custodian of the record or an employee working under the immediate supervision of the custodian unless the officer's or employee's official responsibilities require the officer or employee to have access to the number or the officer or employee is authorized by the subject individual to have access to the number.

Access to employer records containing social security numbers; credit reporting agencies

The bill prohibits an employer from providing access to any record that contains the social security number of an employee of the employer, together with information revealing the identity of that employee, to any person unless the number is redacted; the person is authorized by federal or state law or by the employee who is the subject of the record to have access to the number; or the person is an officer, employee, or agent of the employer and his or her official responsibilities require him or her to have access to the number.

Credit reports

The bill also prohibits credit reporting agencies from using the number of creditor inquiries as a factor in any credit scoring methodology used in preparing credit reports.

Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime, the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a report concerning the proposed penalty and the costs or savings that are likely to result if the bill is enacted.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB102, s. 1 Section 1. 19.36 (14) of the statutes is created to read:

AB102,4,5 19.36 (14) Access to certain records on Internet sites. (a) Except as provided in par. (b), no authority that maintains an Internet site may post on that site any record containing the name of an individual, together with any of the following information pertaining to that individual:

AB102,4,6 1. The individual's birth date.

AB102,4,7 2. The number of an operator's license issued to the individual under ch. 343.

AB102,4,9 3. Except as provided in par. (b), the telephone number at the individual's place of employment.

AB102,4,10 4. The unpublished home telephone number of the individual.

AB102,4,11 (b) This subsection does not apply to any of the following:

AB102,4,14 1. The publication or electronic posting of the telephone number at an individual's place of employment by an authority that is the employer of the individual.

AB102,4,16 2. The posting of any information that is required to be provided under s. 301.45 (2).

AB102, s. 2 Section 2. 19.36 (15) of the statutes is created to read:

AB102,4,19 19.36 (15) Social security numbers. (a) In this subsection, "employee" includes an individual holding a local public office or a state public office.

AB102,5,7 (b) Except as provided in par. (c), if a new record containing a social security number of an individual, together with information revealing the identity of that individual, is kept by an authority on or after January 1, 2009, or if a record in the custody of an authority is modified to insert the social security number of an individual on or after January 1, 2009, and the record contains information revealing the identity of that individual, the authority shall delete the social security number before permitting access to the record to any person other than an officer or employee of the authority, unless the requester is specifically authorized by federal or state law or by the record subject to have access to the number.

AB102,5,10 (c) Unless otherwise provided by federal or state law, including common law principles, a requester may have access to a record containing the social security number of an individual if any of the following applies:

AB102,5,16 1. The record pertains to that individual alone, to the marital or parental rights or responsibilities of that individual and his or her spouse or former spouse, to property of that individual held jointly or in common tenancy with one or more other individuals, or to a civil legal action or proceeding in which the individual is a specifically named party, and the individual provides appropriate identification to the custodian.

AB102,5,20 2. The requester is an authorized representative of an insurer or an organization that performs investigations for insurers and the social security number is relevant to an investigation of suspected, anticipated, or actual insurance fraud.

AB102,6,3 (d) No authority may provide access under s. 19.35 (1) to any record to which access is restricted under par. (b) that contains the social security number of an individual, together with information revealing the identity of that individual, to any officer or employee of the authority other than the legal custodian or an employee working under the immediate supervision of the custodian unless the number is redacted, the officer's or employee's official responsibilities require the officer or employee to have access to the number, or the officer or employee is authorized by the record subject to have access to the number.

AB102, s. 3 Section 3. 19.37 (4) of the statutes is renumbered 19.37 (4) (a).

AB102, s. 4 Section 4. 19.37 (4) (b) and (c) of the statutes are created to read:

AB102,6,9 19.37 (4) (b) If any person misrepresents his or her identity for the purpose of obtaining access to the social security number of another individual under s. 19.36 (15) (c), the person may be required to forfeit not more than $1,000 for each social security number obtained by the person by means of such misrepresentation.