Press Release - Bradley Hails Passage Of Bill To Protect Veterans From Identity Theft

BRADLEY HAILS PASSAGE OF BILL TO PROTECT VETERANS FROM IDENTITY THEFT
Legislation crafted following VA data breach in May

(Washington, D.C.) - First District Congressman Jeb Bradley supported a bill on the House floor on Tuesday night that will allow remediation of identity theft, including credit protection services and fraud resolution services, for a veteran or other individual whose personal information is compromised by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Bradley is a cosponsor of H.R. 5835, the Veterans Identity and Credit Security Act, which passed the House earlier this week by a voice vote.

"Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our country, and they, like everyone else, deserve to have their personal information kept safe. This legislation will implement policies to help prevent another data breach and will also provide a clear course of action for the VA should such a breach ever happen again," stated Bradley.

H.R. 5835 creates a new undersecretary of information services, who would bear the responsibilities of the VA's chief information officer (CIO). The CIO will have the authority to enforce information security at the VA IT department.

The bill also requires the VA to notify Congress and people affected in the event of a data breach. The legislation requires the VA to conduct an analysis of the breach and provide credit protection services and fraud resolution services upon request, if necessary. These protections include credit freezes, identity theft insurance and credit monitoring.

http://www.house.gov/bradley/20060928_main.html