SACRAMENTO, Calif., – Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law Assembly Bill 1658, requiring counties and the State Department of Social Services (DSS) to comply with the federal Child and Family Services and Innovation Act of 2011, which is designed to safeguard foster youths’ credit.
Authored by Assembly Member Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, Sr., AB 1658 mandates DSS to annually inquire each of the three major credit reporting agencies as to whether a foster youth has any consumer credit history.
For any foster child discovered to have credit history, AB 1658 requires the responsible county welfare or probation department to request a consumer credit report from that credit reporting agency or agencies and ensure that the child receives the necessary assistance with interpreting the credit report and resolving any inaccuracies.
As a recent victim of identity theft, Jones-Sawyer has first-hand experience in having to resolve personal credit issues.
“The process of clearing up inaccuracies on a credit report is difficult enough as an adult. I can’t imagine having to endure this task alone as a child.”
A recent Carnegie Mellon study revealed that 4,311 children, or 10.2 percent of the more than 42,000 children sampled had someone else using their Social Security number—fifty-one (51) times higher than the 0.2 percent identity theft rate for adults in the same population.
Foster children may be at a higher risk of falling victim to identity theft than other children, as their personal information passes through the hands of many people as they are moved around in the foster care system.
“Given that there are an estimated 55,000 foster children in California, the idea that children are potentially being victimized at a substantially higher rate than adults is extremely unsettling.”
AB 1658 additionally requires that DSS report back to the Legislature on the State and counties’ progress in implementing this federal law. It is one of several bills signed by Governor Brown that aim to better protect the State’s foster youth.
Assemblymember Reginald Byron Jones- Sawyer Sr. is a Democrat representing areas of Los Angeles and the communities of Huntington Park, Walnut Park and Florence- Firestone.