Governments and companies would face new restrictions on how they could use Social Security numbers under a bipartisan bill that the House Ways and Means committee was expected to approve Wednesday.

Stolen or misplaced Social Security numbers have become one of the main tools for identity thieves, who use the numbers to secure credit and make purchases.

“Identity thieves have stolen the homes of elderly retirees, and have caused innocent persons to be arrested when crimes are committed under a falsified identity,” sponsor Michael R. McNulty, D-N.Y., said in a statement. “It is time to place some common-sense limits on the use of Social Security numbers by government and businesses in order to reduce their easy availability and ensure the privacy of this sensitive information.”

The bill (HR 3046) would prevent the federal, state and local governments from displaying the numbers to the public, showing the numbers on identification tags and cards and, in most cases, selling the numbers.

The private sector would be barred from selling or buying Social Security numbers, though the legislation includes several exceptions, including certain law enforcement, tax and credit functions. Companies also would be banned from displaying the numbers in a variety of contexts.