Social Security Child Protection Act of 2025
Floor Speech
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Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5348) to amend title II of the Social Security Act to provide for the reissuance of social security account numbers to young children in cases where confidentiality has been compromised, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 5348
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Social Security Child Protection Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. REISSUANCE OF SOCIAL SECURITY ACCOUNT NUMBERS TO YOUNG CHILDREN IN CASES WHERE CONFIDENTIALITY HAS BEEN COMPROMISED.
(a) In General.--Section 205(c)(2)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 405(c)(2)(B)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating clause (iii) as clause (iv); and
(2) by inserting after clause (ii) the following new clause:
``(iii) In any case in which a social security account number has been issued to a child who has not attained the age of 14 pursuant to subclause (IV) or (V) of clause (i) and it is demonstrated by evidence, as determined by the Commissioner of Social Security, and submitted under penalty of perjury to the Commissioner by a parent or guardian of the child that in the course of transmission of a social security card to the child, the confidentiality of such number has been compromised by reason of loss or theft of such social security card, the Commissioner shall issue a new social security account number to such child and make note in the records maintained with respect to such child of the pertinent information received by the Commissioner regarding the loss or theft of the social security card.''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall take effect on the date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
Mr. Speaker, a lost or stolen Social Security number can cause a lifetime of harm to American children. Every year, more than a million children become victims of identity fraud.
Current Social Security Administration policy makes it extremely difficult for families to get a new Social Security number for a child, even when families know the original number was compromised through no fault of their own.
Previously, the Ways and Means Committee heard direct testimony from a mother who had to battle with the Social Security Administration when her 1-month-old child's Social Security number was compromised, and she was denied a new number.
This bill, the Social Security Child Protection Act of 2025, sponsored by Representative Smucker, will help families when their child's Social Security number is lost or stolen. It requires the SSA to issue a new number to children under the age of 14 when the child's card has been compromised versus sitting around and waiting for a malicious act to take place.
This is a straightforward solution that will help protect children and families from fraud.
I urge my colleagues to support this so we can continue to stand together to better safeguard the identities of American kids.
A mother testifying before the Ways and Means Committee told us how it took ``hours of effort over months'' to protect her daughter from identity theft and that ``the threat will never completely go away unless she is assigned a new Social Security number.''
This mother had to battle with the SSA after her infant daughter's Social Security number was compromised. Unfortunately, the story is all too common for millions of Americans who have had their Social Security numbers stolen or misused each year.
By taking swift action today, we can prevent a lifetime of financial harm to American children across the country.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
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