[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 20 (Monday, February 5, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    INTRODUCTION OF THE RECOVER ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, February 5, 2024

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Reducing the Effects 
of the Cyberattack on OPM Victims Emergency Response Act of 2024, or 
the RECOVER Act, which would require the Office of Personnel Management 
(OPM) to make permanent the free identity protection coverage that 
Congress required OPM to provide at that point for 10 years to 
individuals whose Social Security Numbers were potentially compromised 
during the OPM data breaches. In 2015, OPM reported that the personally 
identifiable information of as many as 25.7 million current, former and 
prospective federal employees and contractors was stolen in two data 
breaches. I appreciate that Representative C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger is 
co-leading this bill.
  After OPM announced that it would offer identity protection coverage 
of limited duration and value, Senator Ben Cardin and I introduced the 
RECOVER Act in July 2015, which would have provided affected 
individuals lifetime identity protection coverage and at least $5 
million in identity theft insurance. Congress subsequently passed a 
version of our bill as part of an appropriations bill, but limited the 
duration of the protection. Under current law, OPM is only required to 
provide identity protection coverage through fiscal year 2026. Under 
the bill I am introducing today, OPM would be required to provide 
coverage for the remainder of the lives of affected individuals.
  The current coverage duration is inadequate, given that there is no 
limit to when the stolen data may be exploited. Therefore, there should 
be no limit on the duration of the coverage provided to affected 
individuals. This bill would give current, former and prospective 
federal employees and contractors who were affected both some peace of 
mind and protection. OPM failed to protect these people. It follows 
that the government must make up for its mistake.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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