Legislators in the state of New Mexico have introduced a bill that would remove personal identifiers such as Social Security Numbers and Dates of Birth from public records. New Mexico H103 is most likely an effort to mitigate the opportunity for identity theft, but there is an unintended consequence that is not being considered. This measure would be an insurmountable set-back to any organization who conducts background checks on potential job candidates. If the state destroys these records, employers have no way of being assured that they can perform thorough due diligence on their candidates.
There is still plenty of time to influence law makers in New Mexico and I am certain that the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) will lead the efforts to educate them. Those that are interested in getting involved can send a letter to New Mexico State Representative Bill O’Neill.
We’ll pass more along information on this as soon as it becomes available.
NAPBS has been very successful educating public officials when similar bills are introduced. See examples below of these efforts. In each instance, the measure was defeated.
Rhode Island Legislators Approve Bill to Destroy Criminal Records
Massachusetts Proposes Redaction of Personal Identifiers: Bad News for Employment Screening
Oklahoma Supreme Court Reverses Itself on the Removal of Identifiers
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