[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24114]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE MEN AND WOMEN OF TRIWEST FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING EFFORTS IN 
                        COMBATING IDENTITY THEFT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN B. SHADEGG

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 2004

  Mr. SHADEGG. Mr. Speaker, as the 108th Congress comes to a close I 
hope all Members will take stock of our accomplishments.
  In particular, I want to commend Congress and President Bush for 
enacting the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act. Identity theft is 
one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States, costing victims 
over $5 billion annually. Congress took a valuable step this year in 
stiffening penalties and giving the Justice Department more tools to 
combat this pervasive crime. However, there is still work to be done. 
Identity thieves continue to find new ways to exploit innocent 
Americans. In response, we must continue to improve our identity theft 
prevention and protection efforts.
  I rise today to commend to the nation one Arizona company, in 
particular, for aiding us in these efforts. Phoenix-based TriWest 
Healthcare Alliance performed a service to our country by coming 
forward with recommendations after it was the victim of an information 
theft.
  In December 2002, TriWest computer hard drives containing the 
personal information of beneficiaries were stolen from the company's 
office. Rather than obscure this fact for the sake of public relations, 
TriWest embarked on an effort to notify all 562,000 affected customers 
of the theft. At substantial cost, the company helped its customers 
place safeguards on their personal credit files and created a system of 
communication second to none. TriWest CEO and President David McIntyre 
testified before House and Senate committees to share his company's 
experience so that Congress could improve its efforts to protect all 
consumers from this threat.
  TriWest's actions exemplified what a good corporate citizen should 
do. In fact, in June 2004, TriWest was awarded three Arizona Corporate 
Excellence (ACE) awards by the Phoenix Business Journal and the Arizona 
Chamber of Commerce for displaying unwavering dedication and commitment 
to quality and integrity in serving Arizona's military community. 
During the award ceremony, it was noted that Mr. McIntyre ``responded 
in a way that is recognized nationally as the standard for companies 
faced with a serious crisis'' and that ``the approach of the TriWest 
team created a textbook example of how to treat customers with openness 
and integrity.''
  For all these reasons, Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and my colleagues 
in the People's House join me in commending the men and women of 
TriWest Healthcare Alliance for going the extra mile for their 
beneficiaries and setting a benchmark for businesses to follow when 
confronted with a potential identity theft situation.

                          ____________________