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PHOENIX — Pima County residents wouldn't get the same online privacy protections as those in Maricopa County under a bill being considered by the Legislature.

The legislation, SB 1169, would require the Maricopa County Recorder's Office to remove Social Security numbers from any documents available on its Web site — documents Arizona's other 14 counties also make available for public viewing.

Originally, the bill applied statewide, but after counties complained the cost would be excessive, the legislation was trimmed to just Maricopa since it's the only county able to pay the costs on its own.

It does, however, require recorders from all counties to remove Social Security numbers from online documents at the request of an individual, starting in 2009.

Online documents typically found on recorder sites include house deeds, court proceedings, liens and death certificates. Many include Social Security numbers coveted by identity thieves. Voter-registration material is not public information.

In Pima County, it would cost nearly $2 million to remove Social Security numbers from documents available online, said County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez. Her office would have to hire an outside firm, she says, to sift through more than 18 million documents dating back to 1987.

"That's my entire budget," she says. "If you want us to do it, give us the money."

The bill is a build-off of legislation passed last year that required Social Security numbers to be removed from any new documents posted.

The limited scope of the new bill is frustrating to one local lawmaker, who is pushing for the same protections in Pima County — and the money to make it happen.

State Rep. Tom Prezelski, D-Tucson, unsuccessfully tried to amend the bill Wednesday to appropriate nearly $5 million to strip the numbers from county Web sites across the state.

"What they're going to say is that they did something about identity theft," Prezelski said. "But they really only did something about identity theft in one county. They're ignoring the 2 million residents who live outside of that county."

The issue is topical in Arizona since several studies have rated the state the worst in the nation for identity theft.

Unlike in Maricopa, online users in Pima need to pay a fee between $50 and $100 to access the documents. That helps provide some protection, Rodriguez said.

Maricopa charges a $4 fee for documents on its site, and that money is being used to pay the cost of redacting the old information, said Cathy Lucero, administrative manager for the recorder.

Lucero said the process, which will be complete this summer, will cost $4.8 million. Maricopa County has more than 82 million documents.

The sponsor of the bill — Sen. Barbara Leff, R-Paradise Valley — says it's ultimately up to local officials to bear the cost, not the state. With the state short on funds this year, she hopes the bill pressures other counties to remove Social Security numbers on their own.

"In Maricopa County, they're using their own money to do it," Leff said. "My view is that Pima County, if they care about the protection and privacy of their citizens, then they will spend the money to do it."

While Leff says the bill still has "some teeth" by requiring counties to remove Social Security numbers on request, she said further legislation may not be necessary.

The vote on Prezelski's amendment failed along party lines. Tucson Rep. Marian McClure, a Republican, said she'd like to revisit the issue next year, though she was against the amendment on fiscal grounds. "We're simply running out of money," she said.

Even if counties remove it online, personal information is available on the documents at the recorder's main office. "You can come into my office and view everything," Rodriguez said.

Prezelski said that issue needs to be dealt with, too.

"We have this problem in this state," he said. "If we're going to provide people with security, we're going to have to spend some money."

SB 1169 has passed the Senate, but needs House approval.