Credit card users in Pennsylvania may soon have more privacy and receive less junk mail.

A bill currently before the state House of Representatives would make it illegal for merchants to ask for personal information from credit card users when making a purchase.

The legislation would protect consumer privacy, said Dan Mangen, spokesman for the House Democrats. Merchants would not be able to ask for any personal information, including phone numbers and addresses, he said.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Nick Colafella, D-Beaver, was unanimously passed by the Consumer Affairs Committee, Mangen said, adding that it is a major hurdle for a bill to get out of any committee.

"I believe it has a very good chance to pass (the House and the Senate)," Colafella said.

Steve Long, manager of University Book Centre, 206 E. College Ave., said his business does not compile mailing lists, but believes the proposed law would be inconvenient to consumers.

If merchants could not ask for personal information, they would have to find another, possibly time-consuming way to ensure the validity of credit cards, he said.

"Protection of personal privacy is important, but not to the point that it is difficult to make a purchase," he said.

Melissa Mayhew (sophomore-pre-law) believes a credit card check is enough and said she has always had difficulty using a credit card.

"A lot of stores give me a hard time because I have an unlisted phone number and I don't want to give it to them," she said.

Jennifer Phillips (sophomore-anthropology) believes giving personal information does not invade her privacy.

"I'm not uncomfortable giving my phone number, but (the bill) probably would cut down on junk-mail," she said.

Tracy Clarke, assistant manager of The Gap, 206 W. College Ave., said the company stopped asking for personal information from consumers two months ago.

"We thought it was no longer necessary to take a phone number or any kind of personal information," she said.

Colafella's proposal is similar to a bill passed in New York in January, he said. New York Assemblyman Daniel L. Feldman, D-Brooklyn, successfully sponsored a bill to protect consumer privacy when a credit card is used.

Feldman, quoted in a Jan. 9 New York Times article, said some New York merchants were wrongly convincing consumers that addresses and phone numbers were required to make a credit card purchase.