House repeals Red Flag Rule for small businesses

Yesterday in Washington the House of Representatives sent the Senate HR 3763 that repeals the Red Flag Rule for small businesses in which lawyers and others would be treated as creditors for identity theft. Under a rule effective August 1, 2009, the Federal Trade Commission requires  lawyers, including solo practitioners, to have in place written protocols to detect and address the "red flags" of identity theft. Bar associations, including the ABA and ISBA, are registering objections. Helen Gunnarsson's August 2009 piece in the Illinois Bar Journal goes into more detail on the Red Flag Rule.