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North Carolina Moves ID Theft Measures
by Chloe Albanesius
The North Carolina Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed an identity theft measure drafted by Attorney General Roy Cooper.
"We're fighting this crime on all fronts and this comprehensive new law will have a real impact by making it harder for thieves to get their hands on our personal information," Cooper, a Democrat, said in a statement.
Like several other pending state security measures, S.B. 1048 includes a provision popularized by a California notification law that requires companies to notify customers in the event of a security breach. It would allow consumers to place a security freeze on their credit reports if they suspect they are a victim of ID theft and would require companies to properly dispose of a customer's personal information, if necessary.
The bill also would ban state and local governments from unnecessarily collecting Social Security numbers and would limit their sale and display.
The House passed its version of the measure, H.B. 1248, on Monday and it is currently pending in the state Senate's Judiciary Committee.
Warner Names Health IT Task Force Members
Virginia Gov. Mark Warner on Monday announced the selection of 33 members for his task force on information technology in health care.
"Technology offers the greatest promise to reduce costs and improve our health care system," the Democratic governor said in a statement. "This task force will study how Virginia can maximize the power of technology to help us save lives and save money."
The group will be charged with evaluating electronic health records, data collection systems and technologies that will help reduce paperwork. Warner created the task force via executive order on Jan. 14.
Members of the task force include: Barbara Baldwin, chief information officer for the University of Virginia Health Systems; Margaret Cornett, director of IT applications for Inova Health Systems; state Sen. Janet Howell; state Rep. John O'Bannon; and Eugene Huang, Virginia secretary of technology.
In other news, AP reports that a five-member panel appointed by the Alaska Medical Board approved the state's abortion Web site as medically sound. The site, which provides information on abortion, adoption, fetal development, giving birth and other pregnancy-related questions, was mandated by a bill passed by the legislature last year.
Meanwhile, the Texas House on Sunday approved a bill that would allow the state Board of Pharmacy to set up a Web site that would help residents purchase cheaper prescription drugs from Canada.
The Houston Chronicle reports that the measure was introduced as a stand alone bill, H.B. 173. But after it was held up in committee, Democratic state Rep. Scott Hochberg, the bill's author, added the importation measure as an amendment to a sunset bill that provides for the reauthorization of the Board of Pharmacy. The Senate, which already approved the sunset measure, will now have to reconsider it with Hochberg's amendment.
Virginia Awarded First Do-Not-Call Judgment
Virginia on Monday obtained the state's first judgment for a violation of the federal "do-not-call" law, which allows people to be placed on a national list of those who do not wish to receive telemarketing calls.
Former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, a Republican candidate for governor, last year sued Real Time International after 27 residents complained that the company, which markets vacation packages, called and failed to identify itself, while 16 said Real Time called repeatedly after being asked to stop.
As a result, a federal court this week awarded injunctive relief and ordered the company to pay $196,000 in damages for willful violation of the law. "We have brought its illegal activities to a halt and sent a serious message to telemarketers who flout the law," said current Attorney General Judith Jagdmann.
Meanwhile, the Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) last week criticized a decision by MCI to charge a monthly fee to customers who receive phone bills by mail instead of e-mail.
The telecom company's 99-cent fee began on May 1, but the fee would be waived for this month if a customer agreed to switch to Internet billing.
"Are the more affluent customers who have a computer and are on the Internet gaining special considerations?" Commissioner Frank Landis asked during a recent PSC meeting.
Commissioner Anne Boyle, however, was somewhat sympathetic. "Lowering the rate for those who choose Internet billing makes sense as the company's costs are less," she said. "However, imposing an increase on those who have caused no additional costs is making money at the expense of a target audience."
Under FCC rules, the PSC is not allowed to intervene on the MCI issue because it deals with calls that go beyond Nebraska's borders, Boyle said. She encouraged customers to contact their local and long-distance providers, the FCC and Congress about the matter.
In Michigan, Attorney General Mike Cox and Oakland County Prosecutor David Gorcyca announced last week that they will donate 500 phones and $20,000 in Sprint calling cards to a Michigan domestic and sexual violence center.
Finally, Maine's Democratic Gov. John Baldacci signed a bill that will place "public interest payphones" in areas with little or no cell phone reception, rural areas and isolated areas like islands, VillageSoup reports.
Texas Supreme Court Upholds Strict Supervision Of Offenders
The Texas Supreme Court last week upheld a state law that requires strict supervision of sexual offenders once they are released from prison.
The law was challenged by those who said it was too harsh against mentally handicapped individuals who committed violent sexual crimes.
Attorney General Greg Abbott praised the decision. "The civil commitment statute establishes an efficient, long-term program to make sure violent sex offenders remain under watch and in treatment," he said in a statement.
In other news, the Minnesota legislature this week approved a crime bill that would increase penalties for sex offenders. The Star Tribune reports that the bill also would increase monthly 911 telephone surcharges from 40 cents to 65 cents and increase the collection of DNA samples from those convicted of violent felonies.
Meanwhile, Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline on Wednesday praised the Justice Department's announcement this week regarding the creation of a national sex offender registry.
"Kansans should know what potential dangers we face in our communities," Kline said in a statement. "It is one thing to talk about protecting our citizens from violent offenders and another thing to do something about it."
U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales this week said the database would be available online within 60 days.
Finally, KCRA reports that California's sex offender database includes an opt-out provision that allows some first-time offenders to choose not to be included in the registry.
Those convicted of child molestation, lewd and lascivious behavior with a child under 14 or sexual battery with restraint are allowed to opt-out of the database. Since last fall, approximately 2,677 misdemeanor offenders have been allowed not to register. Another 7,288 have applied to be removed.
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