House members approved two pieces of legislation this week that will help North Carolina’s approximately 800,000 veterans and 90,000 active duty members of the military. The bills now headed to the Governor.
On Wednesday, we approved HB 2883, which will protect veterans, active duty military and members of the National Guard against identity theft. The bill was in response to the news of a recent theft of a federal government database in Washington, D.C. that included the names, Social Security numbers, and birthdates of 26.5 million veterans across the nation. The laptop has since been recovered, and federal investigators believe the data had not been accessed. Worried veterans, however, will not have to pay the up to $10 state law permits for credit reporting agencies to charge for the credit freeze, which prevents any credit from being taken in their name. Surviving spouses of military personnel can also get a credit freeze under the proposal, and family members can act on behalf of active-duty personnel overseas. Veterans who suspect identity theft should call (800) FED-INFO or (800) 333-4636 or go to: www.firstgov.gov/veteransinfo.shtml.
On Thursday, the House passed a bill (SB 862) which would allow veterans who served in the Korean Conflict or the Vietnam War to be issued high school diplomas if they had not previously received them. These special diplomas are already issued to veterans of World War II. A number of other states have similar programs including Kentucky, Indiana, Colorado and Vermont.
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