BILL REQ. #:  H-2136.1 



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SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2054
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State of Washington60th Legislature2007 Regular Session

By House Committee on Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness (originally sponsored by Representatives Goodman, O'Brien, Williams, Springer, Dunshee, Simpson, Lovick, Roach, Kelley, Green, Roberts and Hurst)

READ FIRST TIME 02/19/07.   



     AN ACT Relating to reporting identity theft cases; adding a new section to chapter 43.43 RCW; and adding a new section to chapter 9.35 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 43.43 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The Washington state patrol shall create and maintain a call center and a statewide web site that shall be available for the filing of incident reports relating to identity crimes under chapter 9.35 RCW.
     (2) The web site shall contain instructions to the general public on how to utilize the web site to create and file an incident report relating to identity theft. At a minimum, when filing an incident report, the web site shall request, but is not limited to: The name of the person completing the form, the complainant's name, address, phone number, date and place that the incident may have occurred, a description of the identity theft crime that has taken place, and any other information that is deemed necessary according to the Washington state patrol.
     (3) The call center shall take all relevant information regarding the complainant's identity theft-related case for the creation of an incident report. At a minimum, when filing an incident report, the call center shall request, but is not limited to: The name of the person completing the form, the complainant's name, address, phone number, date and place that the incident may have occurred, a description of the identity theft crime that has taken place, and any other information that is deemed necessary according to the Washington state patrol. The call center shall be open and available to the public twenty-four hours a day.
     (4) The Washington state patrol must provide the complainant with a response, a case number, and copy of any incident report filed by phone or via internet within forty eight hours.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 9.35 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) A person who has learned or reasonably suspects that his or her financial information or means of identification has been unlawfully obtained, used by, or disclosed to another, as described in this chapter, may file an incident report with the Washington state patrol via the call center or web site established in section 1 of this act. The Washington state patrol shall create a police incident report of the matter, provide the complainant with a copy of that report with a corresponding case number within forty-eight hours, and may refer the incident report to another appropriate law enforcement agency.
     (2) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a law enforcement agency to investigate reports claiming identity theft. An incident report filed under this section is not required to be counted as an open case for purposes of compiling open case statistics.
     (3) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a person from filing an incident report with a law enforcement agency other than the Washington state patrol.

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