WCBC

July 13th, 2015 by WCBC Radio

Congressman John K. Delaney (MD-6) joined seven colleagues from the National Capital Region in cosponsoring legislation from Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton to provide free lifetime identity theft protection coverage to more than 22.1 million current, former and prospective federal employees whose personnel data has been compromised by widespread Office of Personnel Management (OPM) data breaches. The RECOVER Act (Reducing the Effects of the Cyberattack on OPM Victims Emergency Response Act of 2015) includes identity theft insurance for losses up to $5 million. A Senate companion bill has been introduced by Senator Ben Cardin.

“The recent data breaches at OPM put millions of federal employees at risk and that’s unacceptable,” said Congressman Delaney.  “Unfortunately, this isn’t going to be a short-term problem with short-term risk and we have to make sure we offer long-term support to those impacted.  Our government should be in the position of strengthening the security of Americans online, not exposing their personal information to attack.  The RECOVER Act makes sure that the victims of the data breaches will never have to face identity fraud alone.”

On Thursday, July 16, Congressman Delaney will host an Identity Theft and Fraud Protection Forum at the BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown, featuring Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, representatives from OPM, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Maryland State Police, and others. At the forum, attendees can talk one-on-one with experts on how to protect their identity and steps they can take if they’re a victim. Constituents interested in attending should RSVP via email Delaney.Events@mail.house.gov or by calling 1-301-926-0300.