Improving Social Security’s Service to Victims of Identity Theft Act

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I also extend my congratulations to Mr. Ferguson, and I thank Mr. Smith for his comments on this very important piece of legislation. I think the public is always glad to see bipartisanship at work, and there is nobody who exemplifies that more than the chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. Ferguson himself.

Americans are increasingly vulnerable to identity theft, as we all know. In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission received over a million reports of identity theft.

Addressing identity theft can be complex and time consuming. Currently, a victim could run into incredible red tape when you try to go through the current system and get a resolution to what, obviously, is a very disturbing incident that has just happened to you.

We must do everything we can to improve the process for victims. That is why we initiated this legislation that will allow that one-stop provision and allow the individuals to make sure that they have a point of contact and work this way through instead of working their way through an entanglement of bureaucracy.

We must also ensure that the SSA has the necessary funding, however, and the resources to carry out its mission. There have been years of underfunding. The American public should understand this.

Social Security manages over 70 million people. What other Federal agency do you know of that administers that bureaucracy for under 1 percent?

That is a shameful cut. We need to make sure that Social Security is funded appropriately and make sure they have all of the latest technology to deal with the more than 70 million people now that are receiving Social Security.

Again, I think the Nation is astounded. I come from the insurance capital of the world. On average, they administer their insurance programs for around 20 percent.

I think we ought to take a hard look, and I think everybody has to take a look into their heart. If we expect to provide people with the kind of service they should get from the number one antipoverty program for the elderly and the number one antipoverty program for children, then we have to make sure that that is appropriately funded.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, let me compliment the chairman, Mr. Ferguson, and thank him for his incredible work in this area. I also thank Commissioner O'Malley, who doesn't get the credit I believe he richly deserves, especially dealing with less resources and a larger and growing problem. Imagine, if you will, for I think most viewers don't know, that 10,000 baby boomers a day become eligible for Social Security, and it is growing rapidly.

I am glad that Republicans support this bill to improve customer service for victims of identity theft, but they must also support giving SSA the resources it needs to implement it. I think that is pretty clear and straightforward.

Mr. Speaker, I also believe that, as was pointed out by Mr. Smith and also by Mr. Ferguson, the unfortunate experience people go through is a crime, identity theft, and even more of a crime when you can't get service.

Yet, what is really criminal about Social Security is that Congress has not taken on the responsibility of enhancing a program that was last improved when Richard Nixon was President of the United States--53 years. Every single district, every single individual, everyone who is retiring is stuck at the same benefit level they were in 1971.

There are 5 million Americans who get below-poverty-level checks because Congress hasn't acted. For over 40 percent of Social Security recipients, which is 28 million people, all they have is Social Security. The only body that can resolve that problem for them is the United States Congress.

We took a baby step here as it relates to making sure about identity theft. We need to take a major step and vote for enhancements for people who richly deserve them. They are counting on us. It is the Nation's insurance program, and we have not done our job as a Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his support, and I thank Mr. Larson for his engagement on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3784, a bill I introduced called the Improving Social Security's Service to Victims of Identity Theft Act.

In 2021, roughly 1.5 million children were the victims of identity fraud. That is 1 in nearly 50 children. The numbers are staggering.

Now, I as chairman, along with Ranking Member Larson, held a subcommittee hearing to discuss ways the Social Security Administration could responsibly do more to protect America's Social Security numbers from identity theft.

The hearing also highlighted the government's failure to help individuals whose Social Security numbers had been compromised.

During the hearing, we heard from Mrs. Hayward, who testified her family had been forced to navigate the Social Security Administration's bureaucratic maze to protect her daughter's financial future.

Mr. Speaker, she told the subcommittee that after giving birth to her third child, she promptly submitted the proper paperwork for a new birth certificate and a Social Security card. While the birth certificate arrived without issue, the Social Security card did not.

By the time her daughter was 7 weeks old, and having not received the card, she grew concerned and contacted the Social Security Administration about the fact that the website said that it had been sent and received when, in fact, it had not.

She initially assumed the card might have been misplaced, but after thoroughly checking her mail and contacting the Social Security Administration, she learned that the card had been issued but not received. The Social Security Administration advised patience, but concerns about identity theft were dismissed.

When she requested information about whether the card had been received or issued, she was simply told she could apply for a replacement card, but not a new number, nor could she get the old number directly.

Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Hayward eventually went to the Social Security office. She stated that other employees provided inconsistent information, dismissed the need for a new number, and even suggested that a remedy was contacting the post office to locate the missing card. It was only after she sought help from her U.S. Senator that they were able to request a new card. When a replacement card finally arrived, the original card was still unaccounted for and potentially compromised.

The process to monitor and protect her daughter's identity was really much too cumbersome and stressful, and having to re-explain the situation to multiple Social Security Administration employees about navigating this complex system and the issues that she had faced is simply unacceptable.

Preventing identity theft must be a top priority, yet Mrs. Hayward's family and countless others across the Nation have faced serious bureaucratic obstacles that extend the time that fraudsters have to misuse the personal information of their victims.

This underscores the need for a system that proactively prevents identity theft and provides clear, consistent support for American families.

Mr. Speaker, my bill addresses this by streamlining the process to a single point of contact at the Social Security Administration so that they can get their issues resolved more efficiently. I am proud to offer this bill along with my colleague, Mr. Larson, and ask that Members support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3784) to amend title VII of the Social Security Act to provide for a single point of contact at the Social Security Administration for individuals who are victims of identity theft, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3784, the Improving Social Security's Service to Victims of Identity Theft Act.

In 2022 alone, there were over a thousand data breaches which exposed the private data, such as names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of millions of Americans, putting their identities and financial well-being at risk.

We all know someone who has been a been a victim of identity theft, and we have seen how difficult and time consuming it is for those individuals to take back control of their credit and financial well- being.

The longer it takes to resolve an issue like the loss or theft of a Social Security number, the longer fraudsters have to compromise or exploit an individual's identity.

This Congress, the Ways and Means Committee held a hearing that underlined exactly why this bill is needed. We heard from Margaret, a new mother, who testified about her 9-month-old daughter's Social Security number being compromised and the stress associated with such a situation. She testified that having a single point of contact at the Social Security Administration to talk to about her case would have made a world of difference. That is exactly what this bill does.

H.R. 3784 will streamline the process of addressing concerns with lost or stolen Social Security numbers by reducing the burdens on victims and ensuring a more efficient resolution of their issues.

I thank my colleagues, Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Drew Ferguson and Ranking Member John Larson for their bipartisan work on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Ferguson), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, a Social Security number is the gateway to taking control of an American's identity and finances. Congress owes it to the American people to do everything that we can to ensure their identities are protected and that the process for taking back control of their identity when their Social Security number is compromised is streamlined and easy. We especially owe it to the almost 1 million children who were victims of identity fraud in 2022 through no fault of their own.

H.R. 3784 is a long-overdue step forward in streamlining the Social Security Administration's process and alleviating the burden on victims.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.