U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., celebrated a win on Thursday after President Barack Obama signed a law ensuring Social Security numbers are left off W-2 forms.
The Bradenton Republican spent much of last year pushing his “Taxpayer Identity Protection Act" which would allow Americans to use numbers issued by employers--including the last four digits of the Social Security number--instead of their full Social Security numbers when they file their taxes. Buchanan, who sits on the House Budget and the Ways and Means Committees, said his proposal would help protect Americans’ data.
“This common-sense measure will help safeguard millions of Americans from the devastation of identity theft,” Buchanan said on Thursday. “By limiting the use of Social Security numbers on tax forms we can help keep hardworking Americans’ personal information out of the hands of criminals.”
When pushing his bill back in September, Buchanan pointed to a U.S. Department of Justice report which showed more than 17.5 Americans--including 2.6 million senior citizens--were victims of identity theft last year with Florida leading the nation on this front.
The issue of protecting Social Security numbers is not a new one for the Florida Republican. Last year, Buchanan spearheaded a bill to pass veterans’ ID cards which did not contains Social Security numbers on them.
U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., was the main co-sponsor of the bill. Like Buchanan, McDermott is an advocate of getting Social Security numbers off of documentation and identifications. In recent years, McDermott has been one of the leaders in Congress to get Social Security numbers off of Medicare cards.
Last year, McDermott teamed up with U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, to once again propose a bill to remove Social Security numbers off Medicare cards. The Washington Democrat called for more action from Congress to protect Americans’ data and identities.
“The American people deserve additional reforms that modernize outdated laws and advance the ball further in the fight against wrongdoers who engage in fraud, waste, and abuse,” McDermott said.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
