BILL REQ. #:  H-1599.2 

Read first time 02/06/2007.   Referred to Committee on Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness.

     AN ACT Relating to identity theft; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   Identity theft and identity fraud have become the fastest growing crimes in Washington. Figures from the federal trade commission show that the state of Washington ranks seventh nationally in the number of reported identity theft victims by state.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   (1) A work group on identity theft check processes is established. The work group shall consist of the following members:
     (a) The chief of the Washington state patrol or the chief's designee;
     (b) The insurance commissioner of the office of the insurance commissioner or the insurance commissioner's designee;
     (c) An elected sheriff or police chief, a sergeant, and a detective selected by the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs;
     (d) The state attorney general or the attorney general's designee;
     (e) A representative from the banking industry;
     (f) A representative of the Washington association of prosecuting attorneys;
     (g) A representative of the Washington association of criminal defense lawyers; and
     (h) A representative from a consumer reporting agency.
     (2) The work group, where feasible, may consult with:
     (a) Federal postal inspectors;
     (b) Agents representing the federal bureau of investigation;
     (c) Attorneys representing the United States office of the attorney general; and
     (d) Individuals from the public and private sector.
     (3) The work group shall meet quarterly at a date and place of its choice, and at such other times as shall be designated by the chief of the Washington state patrol or the chief's designee, to review and make recommendations to the legislature and the governor regarding identity theft crimes and policies in Washington state. In preparing the recommendations, the committee shall, at a minimum, review the following issues:
     (a) Developing approaches to reducing identity theft crimes in Washington;
     (b) How to share resources in the investigation of identity theft crimes;
     (c) Reviewing state and federal laws and penalties related to bank, mail, and wire fraud, immigration and passport fraud, technology and computer crimes, and various other identity theft-related offenses;
     (d) Reviewing how various local, state, and federal agencies that handle identity theft-related crimes communicate, and how to improve the utilization and sharing of services between agencies; and
     (e) Considering whether the creation of county or multiple county identity theft task forces made up of local, state, and federal agencies would be feasible and helpful in deterring identity theft crimes.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   This act expires January 31, 2008.