Colorado Gov. Bill Owens has signed legislation intended to fight identity theft in the state.

HB1274, sponsored by Rep. Rosemary Marshall, D-Denver, tightens the requirements for banks that offer credit or debit accounts by mail.

The new law, which takes effect July 1, requires banks to verify the applicant is the person they offered the account to if an application contains an address different from the address to which they mailed an offer.

Meanwhile, two other proposals targeting identity theft are also headed to the governor.

HB1134, sponsored by Rep. Carl Miller, D-Leadville, would make the crime of identity theft a Class 6 felony, punishable by 12 to 18 months in prison.

The bill would create a process for victims to establish their innocence in crimes committed by the person who stole their identity. It would allow a court to order public information, such as records and criminal databases, be updated to reflect that data is inaccurate because the person's identity was stolen.

According to The Coloradoan, it could also be used to correct a person’s credit report – one of the most commonly affected and detrimental aspects of identity theft.

HB1311, sponsored by Rep. Jerry Frangas, D-Denver, would prohibit a public entity from issuing a license, permit, pass or certificate that contains the holder’s Social Security number unless it is needed for legitimate reasons.

New legislation should help Colorado – which ranks eighth nationally in identity theft cases – with this growing problem, he told the newspaper.

“I think we’ll go from one of the worst states in the country to one of the best,” Frangas said.