UPDATE: Senate Bill 23 did not become law during 2016 Kentucky Legislative Session. The bill was passed unanimously by the Senate. It was then sent to the House, where it was read twice, amended, but never read for the third and final time.

Overview

The Commonwealth of Kentucky’s General Assembly is considering a bill which would permit parents to place security freezes on their children’s credit record. Senate Bill 23 (SB 23) was introduced in the Senate on January 6, 2016. After several readings and committee reviews, it was approved by the Senate with minor changes and sent to the House Banking & Insurance Committee on February 11, 2016. The 2016 Kentucky Legislative Session will adjourn on April 12, 2016.

Children do not have credit reports since they generally do not have credit in their names. So SB 23 provides that if there is no credit file/credit report, then the consumer reporting agency must create such a record for the protected person (as defined below).

SB 23 would require a consumer reporting agency to place a security freeze on a protected person’s record or report upon proper request by a representative. A “protected person” is defined as “an individual who is under sixteen (16) years of age at the time a request for the placement of a security freeze is made, or who is an incapacitated person or other person for whom a guardian or conservator has been appointed.”

State Laws and the Three Major Consumer Reporting Agencies Vary on Security Freezes for Children

The National Council of State Legislators reports that only “twenty-three states allow parents, legal guardians or Continue reading →