FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                 Contact: Brian Thomas (202)-225-6605

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Kenny Marchant (TX-24) issued the following release regarding H.R. 2706, the Young Children Social Security Number Protection Act of 2009, which he introduced today.

 “Identity theft is one of the most common and frustrating crimes a person can endure. For those people having to navigate the federal bureaucracy only to be told nothing can be done, the stress and frustration is unimaginable. The bill I have introduced today, the Young Children Social Security Number Protection Act of 2009, will provide overdue relief to the most vulnerable victims of identity theft in our society – our children.

 “I became acutely aware of the problem many young children face in getting new social security numbers because of the obstacles faced by one of my constituents. Through no fault of his own, a newborn’s social security number was stolen from his mailbox by a convict with a history of forgery, credit card abuse, and identity theft. When his family brought their issue to the attention of my office, I strongly urged the Social Security Administration in no uncertain terms to issue my young constituent a new social security number. They informed me that a new social security number could be issued only if demonstrated identity theft and abuse has occurred.

“The callous treatment of one of my constituents by bureaucrats is an outrage. The sad state of the Social Security Administration was revealed when I learned that they would issue a new number to someone who has superstitious beliefs against their assigned number. Given the seriousness of my constituent’s case, I find the Social Security Administration’s rigidity in refusing to help my constituent unconscionable. We need common sense legislation to rectify this. If enacted, my legislation would provide relief to young victims whose social security cards have been stolen.”

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