The State Assembly’s Banking and Finance Committee passed legislation by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) and Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) Monday to protect children from identity theft.

AB 1580 will allow parents to freeze their children’s credit to prevent identity thieves from opening fraudulent credit accounts and ruining credit scores.

Current law only allows parents to freeze a child’s credit after the child has become a victim of identity fraud. However, since children don’t typically have financial accounts or check their FICO score, the damage is often not discovered until a child turns 18. Twenty-three state have implemented similar laws.