SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 378

    Amendment No. 1   Barcode 135878

                            CHAMBER ACTION
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11  The Committee on Governmental Oversight and Productivity

12  recommended the following amendment:

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14         Senate Amendment 

15         On page 2, lines 6-25, delete those lines

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17  and insert:

18         Section 2.  The Legislature finds that it is a public

19  necessity that personal identifying information of customers

20  held by a water, wastewater, natural gas, electric, cable

21  television, or telecommunications utility, owned or operated

22  by an agency, be made exempt from public disclosure in order:

23  (1) to prevent identity theft and fraud; and, (2) to minimize

24  the competitive disadvantage these agencies may experience

25  from disclosure of such information.

26         Unlike private utilities, public utilities in Florida

27  are subject to open records requirements. As a result, social

28  security numbers of customers may be available to the public.

29  A social security number is often the link to an individual's

30  financial, educational, medical, or familial records. As such,

31  obtaining a person's social security number is an important

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 378

    Amendment No. 1   Barcode 135878





  1  part of successfully stealing an identity. Closing access to

  2  social security numbers held by these agencies will minimize

  3  the opportunity for identity theft. Further, if taxpayer or

  4  driver identification numbers, and bank, debit, charge and

  5  credit card numbers, are obtained in conjunction with social

  6  security numbers, not only is identity theft more possible,

  7  but the opportunity for fraud and financial loss is increased.

  8  As a result, the Legislature finds that it is a public

  9  necessity to close customer social security numbers, taxpayer

10  identification numbers, and bank account, debit, charge and

11  credit card numbers that are held by a water, wastewater,

12  natural gas, electric, cable television, or telecommunications

13  utility, owned or operated by an agency.

14         In addition to customer social security numbers,

15  taxpayer identification numbers, and bank account, debit,

16  charge and credit card numbers, other personal identifying

17  information, such as names, addresses and telephone numbers,

18  may be obtained under public records requirements from a

19  water, wastewater, natural gas, electric, cable television, or

20  telecommunications utility, owned or operated by an agency.

21  Given the type of services these businesses provide, this

22  personal identifying information could be used by competitors

23  to identify, target, contact and solicit specific types of

24  customers. The ability of business competitors to obtain this

25  type of information could place these public service providers

26  at a distinct competitive disadvantage and could result in

27  severe economic loss to those public entities, thereby placing

28  an increased economic burden on the less profitable customers

29  who remain with the public utility. Additionally, local

30  governments could experience declines in revenue as a result,

31  thereby causing those governments to have to reduce the

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 378

    Amendment No. 1   Barcode 135878





  1  services that they provide to Floridians. As a result, the

  2  Legislature finds that the names, addresses, and telephone

  3  numbers of customers of a public water, wastewater, natural

  4  gas, electric, cable television, or telecommunications

  5  utility, owned or operated by an agency, must be exempt.

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