ATLANTA | Teaming up with consumer expert Clark Howard,‎ Sen. David Shafer (R – Duluth) won passage today of Senate Bill 376 allowing Georgia consumers to freeze their credit files without paying fees. The vote was 51 to 0.

“Georgia consumers should not be charged fees to prevent their identities from being stolen,” Shafer said.

Under current Georgia law, consumers may freeze and unfreeze their credit files by paying a fee to the credit bureau each time they make the request. Senate Bill 376 outlaws the fee.

Howard, who appeared with Shafer at the Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee hearing to support the bill, ‎urged consumers to protect themselves from identity theft by freezing their credit.

Howard explained that consumers could easily unfreeze (or “thaw”) their credit when they need to apply for a loan and then freeze it again afterward. He said it was “ridiculous” for credit bureaus, who have failed to safeguard consumer data, to charge for this service.

“I am happy to be here in support of Senate Bill 376,” Howard said. “I applaud Senator Shafer for introducing this legislation and hope it becomes law.”