The Speaker of the State Assembly is promising new safeguards, after several lawmakers and state employees had personal information stolen. Social Security numbers of at least 109 lawmakers and aides were reported missing this week. Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch (R-West Salem) says the data was stolen from a state worker, who had taken it home for work purposes. The employee's car, along with several others, was broken into while she was at a Madison health club.
Speaker Huebsch was among the lawmakers affected. He says it's probably not the first time personal information of state employees has left the Capitol, but it will be the last. The West Salem Republican says he'll move quickly to enact new policies that prevent state employee data from being taken out of the Capitol.
Madison police are investigating the incident. Spokesman Mike Hanson says it doesn't appear the data was the target of the theft. That's because other items, such as cell phones and credit cards, were also stolen in the break-in.