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A consumer protection bill that aims to protect Alaskans from identity theft is headed for the Alaska Senate where a similar measure ran aground two years ago.

The House approved the bipartisan-sponsored bill 35-0 on Wednesday.

Its main provisions include a ban on the sale or disclosure of social security numbers and a requirement that individuals be notified of security breaches involving their personal information. It also allows consumers to freeze their credit reports and scores to prevent thieves from obtaining the information, and requires that merchants use truncated numbers in electronic transaction receipts.

The bill's prime sponsor, Rep. John Coghill, R-North Pole, described himself as its manager because so many lawmakers from both the House and the Senate had input into its provisions.

He said consumers, bankers, insurance companies and credit reporting agencies also were involved.

"I think we've worked diligently to make sure that we're fair and yet still tough," Coghill said. "It's my intention not to be antibusiness but to give them clear rules to work by."

Co-sponsor Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage, said three years ago, when identity theft bills first appeared in the Alaska Legislature, only 10 states had passed similar protections. Thirty states have them now.

He pointed in particular to "a glaring hole in the law" revealed in 2005. That's when information clearinghouse ChoicePoint accidentally released information on more than 145,000 consumers nationwide, including 251 Alaskans. The law did not require that the company inform Alaskans of the breach and it only did so months after the fact.

Though the bill had a smooth ride in the House, it could face a tougher fight in the Senate where a similar bipartisan effort died two years ago.