Social Security Numbers and Privacy

mrosari

Is there current legislation or pending legislation regarding the use of social security numbers in employment matters for Texas or other states?

We have employees that we place on temporary assignments with clients and one client has requested that we provide a list of information on employees we place with them including social security numbers. I'm not sure that we should be releasing this information but am unsure.

POPEYE

Having been on both sides of this issue, I was a manager for a staffing company and now a user of staffing employees, I would never give SS# to a client company and I don't ask for it now. There is absolutely no reason for me or any other client to have it. I can't definitively answer your question on laws or legislation but don't think there is or will be. There is a great article on the home page of HR HERO about identity theft. Check it out.

HR in PA

I too had a previously life in the staffing industry and we did not provide social security numbers to any of our clients. I would ensure the clients that all necessary background checks and required testing were complete prior to the employee's placement on site. Additionally, you may remind them that the less information that they have on the employee, the less chance for a co-employment issue to pop up.

Whirlwind

I'm also in Texas and thought I would offer this resource: [url]http://www.hr.state.tx.us[/url]

From the home page, you can click on Track Legislation and find an index of the hundreds of HR-related bills that are currently pending before the Texas Legislature. I haven't seen a bill on social security number privacy this session, but I haven't scrutinized every single bill since my focus is on state budget matters and state employee issues.

Meanwhile, I'm not aware of any statute already in existence in Tx. on SSN privacy (except for one that excepts the SSN's of govt. employees from the Open Records Act) but I agree with the advice of the respondents, above.