Gov. Sonny Perdue signed bills Tuesday that aim to fight identity theft and help consumers protect their credit.

Perdue signed the legislation during a ceremony at Georgia Bureau of Investigations headquarters.

"This legislation will protect Georgia's consumers and prosecute identity thieves who would prey upon innocent hardworking people," Perdue said.

One of the bills, HB 130, will enable consumers to freeze their credit and keep criminals from accessing a consumer's credit history. It is designed to keep unauthorized individuals from taking out new credit cards or loans in a consumer's name. It would cost consumers $3 to freeze their credit.

"This is one of the most significant pieces of legislation to come from the 2008 session," said Rep. Calvin Hill (R-Canton), the bill's sponsor.

Another bill Perdue signed, SB 388, creates the GBI's Identity Theft Task Force. Lawmakers approved $1 million in next year's budget to pay for the creation of the task force, which will include eight new agents.