{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://samjohnson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364744", "Death List Limits to Curb Tax Fraud by Identity Thieves", "2013-12-18", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Sam Johnson", "J000174", "samjohnson.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The U.S. government will limit public access to death records that have been used for years by identity thieves to commit tax fraud.\r\nA provision in the budget bill poised to pass the Senate today would limit access to information in the Social Security Administration\u2019s Death Master File to certified entities, such as life insurers and pension funds that use the data to combat fraud and administer benefits. The limits would apply for three years after an individual\u2019s death.\r\n\u201cWe\u2019re going to save the U.S. government money that otherwise is being stolen,\u201d said Senator Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat.\r\nThe changes would save the government an estimated $786 million over the next decade by reducing fraudulent claims, according to the Congressional Budget Office. They also may keep genealogists from seeing the records immediately.\r\nNelson and other lawmakers have been trying for several years to limit access to the death records. On the Senate floor yesterday, he cited the cases of children whose identities had been stolen after they died.\r\nIn a typical case, the identity thief would file a tax return using a stolen Social Security number before the legitimate return could be filed, claiming a refund and plunging the real taxpayer\u2019s family into months of limbo.\r\n\u201cWorrying about the stolen identity of a loved one is the last things a grieving family should do,\u201d Representative Sam Johnson, a Texas Republican and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee panel on Social Security, said in a statement.\r\n78 Percent\r\nAccording to the independent National Taxpayer Advocate, the annual caseload for the Internal Revenue Service\u2019s identity theft unit increased 78 percent to 450,000 in fiscal 2012.\r\nThieves get taxpayers\u2019 personal information in other ways, including stolen payroll records.\r\nCompanies such as New York Life Insurance Co., Equifax Inc. (EFX) and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. have been lobbying Congress on the death list issue, according to Senate records.\r\nThe death records became public after the government settled a lawsuit in 1980. The government created the file and began selling it rather than responding to individual requests.\r\nThe legislation would exempt the records from the federal Freedom of Information Act and give the Commerce Department 90 days to set up a process to certify legitimate users. The public would get access to the data three years after an individual\u2019s death.\r\n\u2018Robust Rulemaking\u2019\r\nIn a statement, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch cited \u201cconfusion and ambiguity\u201d during the legislative process and said there should be \u201cbalance\u201d as Commerce officials write rules.\r\n\u201cWe need a robust rulemaking process, where all interested parties are afforded the time and opportunity to adequately express their interests,\u201d said Hatch, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee.\r\nIn the Senate yesterday, Nelson, Washington Democrat Patty Murray and Pennsylvania Democrat Bob Casey said the government shouldn\u2019t interpret the law to cut off access immediately.\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s essential to strike the correct balance,\u201d Casey said, adding that banks and investment companies in his state use the information. Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-18/death-list-limits-to-curb-tax-fraud-by-identity-thieves.html", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://samjohnson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364744"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8983120787888765, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}