News

Ohio Lawmakers OK Bill Letting Parents Freeze Child’s Credit

By:
Posted on:

< < Back to ohio-lawmakers-ok-bill-letting-parents-freeze-childs-credit

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Parents could create and freeze a credit record for a child under legislation headed to Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

The Ohio House approved Senate changes to the measure Tuesday. Backers say it is intended to protect minors from identity theft.

The final bill includes language prohibiting certain personal information from being included in public records, including state tax identification numbers, debit card numbers, bank account numbers and other financial and medical account information.

Sponsoring state Rep. Ron Maag, a Lebanon Republican, became aware of the issue after an 11-year-old constituent had their identity stolen after their parents’ data was compromised.

Under current Ohio law, an individual can only freeze their own credit record, not the record of a child without existing credit.