Ruth Munson

State Representative Ruth Munson passed legislation out of the Illinois House of Representatives Thursday that will require County Recorders of Deeds to take additional precautions in securing social security numbers when contained on documents filed with their office.

"We have a right to expect that our government will protect us from identity theft, after all we pass more and more laws requiring the private sector to do the same," explained Munson. "But, after complaints from constituents and a survey conducted by the Social Security Number Protection Task Force, it became clear that state and local governments need to take a look at their own operations."

House Bill 5586 requires County Recorders of Deeds to redact or remove personal information from Internet websites when requested by individuals affected. Personal information includes: social security number, employer taxpayer identification, drivers license number, state identification number, passport number, bank account number, credit card number, debit card number or personal identification (PIN) code.

"I believe government entities should do everything possible to protect our constituents' identities," said Munson. "I encourage people to check their County Recorder of Deeds website to see if their social security number is available online. If it is, ask the Recorder's office to remove it from the website."

to remove it from the website."

More information about the bill can be found by logging on to the Illinois General Assembly website. Click here.

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To reverse Illinois' manufacturing exodus, Munson passes legislation to help companies compete, expand, and retool

A new Illinois manufacturing council operating under the umbrella of the Departments of Economic Opportunity and Agriculture will focus on improving Illinois' manufacturing competitiveness should legislation passed by the Illinois House ultimately become law, according to State Representative Ruth Munson (R-Elgin), sponsor of HB 5585.

"Illinois has lost a number of high paying manufacturing jobs to other countries and other states over the past 10 years," said Munson. "This legislation is designed to counter the trend and help companies in our state retool and reinvest in the Illinois economy. It means good paying jobs for Illinois families."

The legislation, which garnered the full support of the Illinois House with a unanimous vote, creates the New Generation Manufacturing Competitiveness Council. The purpose of the council is to advocate, coordinate and implement policies within the state to help Illinois manufacturers compete in a global marketplace.

The Council would be charged with developing procedures within the state that would:

The council would be comprised of 21 members from throughout the state representing manufacturing, labor, higher education, research, technology and policymakers.

"To keep these good paying jobs, we must position Illinois as the premier location for high performing manufacturing companies by shaping public policy that creates new opportunities for growth in the manufacturing sector," said Munson. "The council will examine how we can reverse the troubling trend of the manufacturing exodus from Illinois. By leveraging our existing infrastructure and other resources like our scientific laboratories and major research universities, we can grow a workforce that drives technological advances for our manufacturers leading to a healthier economy for the state and the creation of stable high-paying jobs for Illinoisans."