Politics
Politics

Free credit freeze bill wins final approval from Georgia Legislature

March 29, 2018 - Atlanta, Ga: Lawmakers, lobbyists, staff and other members of the public mingle outside of the House Chambers during Legislative Day 40 at the Georgia State Capitol Thursday, March 29, 2018, in Atlanta. PHOTO / JASON GETZ

Credit: Jason Getz

Credit: Jason Getz

March 29, 2018 - Atlanta, Ga: Lawmakers, lobbyists, staff and other members of the public mingle outside of the House Chambers during Legislative Day 40 at the Georgia State Capitol Thursday, March 29, 2018, in Atlanta. PHOTO / JASON GETZ
By Mark Niesse
March 30, 2018

You could soon be able to protect your credit report for free in Georgia.

The Georgia Senate voted 51-0 on Thursday to give final approval to a bill that would prevent credit reporting agencies from charging customers to lock their credit reports. A locked or frozen credit report can't be changed.

It currently costs customers up to $3 each time they want to lock or unlock their credit reports, according to state law.

The legislation, Senate Bill 376, was introduced in response to a giant data breach last year by Equifax, which exposed the personal information of at least 143 million Americans.

The bill now goes to Gov. Nathan Deal for his signature or veto.

Stay on top of what’s happening in Georgia government and politics at PoliticallyGeorgia.com.

About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

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