[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8999]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE TAXPAYER PROTECTION ACT

  (Mr. ELLSWORTH asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. ELLSWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today for two reasons. First of 
all, I want to extend my deepest condolences to the victims of 
yesterday's tragedy at Virginia Tech. The people of the Eighth District 
of Indiana will keep them and their families in their thoughts and 
prayers.
  I also rise today in support of the Taxpayer Protection Act. This 
bipartisan bill empowers middle-class Hoosier families in the fight 
against identity theft, and I am proud to support it.
  Credit cards, on-line banking and shopping on the Internet have 
become a part of everyday life for many Hoosiers. These tools can make 
life easier for Hoosier families, but they also make Hoosiers 
vulnerable to criminals attempting to steal identities. With modern 
technology, a criminal can steal someone's credit cards, bank account 
and Social Security number and then proceed to spend thousands of 
dollars in someone else's name.
  In addition to saddling families with thousands of dollars in debt, 
these crimes can erase years of good credit history, denying consumers 
the ability to buy a house or lease a car.
  The Taxpayer Protection Act takes on this new threat and requires the 
Federal Government to notify taxpayers of any suspected identity theft. 
This bill is an important step in providing taxpayers the security of 
knowing their information is safe, and it will give Hoosiers the power 
to fight identity theft.
  I urge my colleagues to support it.

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