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Hi. I'm State Representative Terry Brown.

Identity theft is a fast-growing crime in Michigan and around the country. ID theft has surpassed drug trafficking as the No. 1 crime in the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. About 10 million people are harmed by identity theft each year. This devastating crime can destroy credit ratings, cause families to lose their homes, and even lead to innocent residents being arrested and hauled off to jail. Recovering from identity theft is a frustrating, painful process that can take years and cost thousands of dollars.

That's why I voted for a plan to help better protect Michigan residents from this crime and enable victims to recover the money they spend to get their lives back in order. The plan that my colleagues and I passed will allow identity theft victims to file civil suits to be compensated for the money they spend to repair their financial affairs and credit history. It will also require courts to order restitution.

In addition, the plan requires businesses to have an identity theft prevention plan to keep our residents' most sensitive information safe. And it requires any data that includes unencrypted personal information to be destroyed when it is removed from the database of a business or agency. This plan will go a long way toward preventing identity theft and helping victims recover from it more quickly.

I also voted last year for a plan to fight identity theft by allowing Michigan residents to place a security freeze on their credit report. That way, only YOU can authorize large purchases.  That plan has been awaiting action in the Senate since last year.

As we work to increase our economic security by creating good-paying jobs now, we also must protect our residents' individual financial security. I urge the Senate to quickly approve these plans and help protect our residents from identity theft.

If you would like to learn more about this legislation or my other work at the Capitol, please visit my Web site. The address is house.mi.gov/tbrown.  While you are there, I encourage you to sign up for my e-newsletter so that I can keep you informed of my work at our State Capitol. As always, please don't hesitate to contact me with any concerns or questions that you have. You can call me, toll-free, at (888) 254-5284. Or, you can e-mail me at terrybrown@house.mi.gov.

I am here to serve you and your family and represent your interests at our state Capitol. Thank you for listening to "Talking with Terry."

And remember to guard your personal information carefully, and shred your personal documents, so that YOU don't become a victim of identity theft.

Make it a great day!