We support the proposed legislation because it appears to provide additional safeguards for our citizens without unduly restricting the use of social security numbers for legitimate government use. I would like to address some issues with the subcommittee on how the State of Florida uses social security numbers for the benefit of our citizens. In many instances, states follow the lead of the Federal Government. This is particularly true in using the social security number for identification, income tax reporting, and entitlement programs. In any automated system, certain information is critical to ensure data integrity.
Most federal systems use the social security number as that key element of information.
Consequently, this precedent has required states to design systems that also report and track using social security numbers. This is not inherently bad. Unfortunately, as addressed by this proposed legislation, when social security numbers are used for unlawful purposes catastrophic results can occur. One of the many valid uses of social security numbers in Florida has resulted in providing support for some of our most vulnerable citizens. The key element in our success is the use of social security numbers.