On March 10, the Virginia governor signed HB 509, which amends certain statutory provisions related to fees for security freezes on credit reports. Currently, a credit reporting agency (CRA) may charge a fee of not more than $5 when a consumer or his representative requests a security freeze on his credit report, though victims of identity theft are exempt from this fee. HB 509 prohibits CRAs from charging a fee for credit report freezes, regardless of whether the request comes from a victim of identity theft. The amendments take effect on July 1.