The House passed legislation Monday aimed at stopping the federal government from mailing letters to people that include their Social Security numbers — including in envelopes that have these vital numbers printed on the outside where anyone can see them.
Lawmakers passed the bill, from Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., in an easy voice vote Monday afternoon.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, noted that Valadao offered the bill when one of his constituents complained that her Social Security number could be seen in a letter she got from the Social Security Administration.
“It was on the outside of the envelope,” Chaffetz said on the House floor as he laughed. “Mr. Speaker, this it totally and completely unacceptable.”
Valadao said the situation got worse as he was trying to help his constituent.
“Upon further investigation, we found that the Social Security Administration was also printing full Social Security numbers visible on the outside of postcards,” he said.
Under Valadao’s bill, no federal agency would be allowed to send mail to people that includes their Social Security numbers, unless the head of the agency says doing so is necessary.
It also requires the government to write regulations explaining when Social Security numbers can be mailed. But those rules would have to ensure that Social Security numbers can’t be seen on the outside of any package sent, and would have to envision the use of partially redacted numbers when possible.
