Introduction of the Recover Pii Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Reducing the Effects of the Cyberattack on OPM Victims Enduring Response and Protecting Identifiable Information Act, or the RECOVER PII Act. This bill would require the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to make permanent the free identity protection coverage that Congress required OPM to provide to individuals whose Social Security numbers were potentially compromised during the OPM data breaches. This bill would also allow federal agencies to provide privacy-enhancing services to their employees and contractors. Senator Mark Warner is sponsoring the companion bill.

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. After OPM announced that it would offer identity protection coverage of limited duration and value to affected individuals, I introduced a bill to provide such individuals lifetime identity protection coverage and at least $5 million in identity theft insurance. Congress subsequently passed a version of that bill as part of an appropriations bill, but limited the duration of the protection. Under current law, OPM is required to provide identity protection coverage only through fiscal year 2026. Under the bill Senator Warner and I are introducing today, OPM would be required to provide lifetime coverage. The current coverage duration is inadequate, given that there is no limit to when the stolen data might be exploited. Therefore, there should be no limit on the duration of the coverage.

This bill would also authorize federal agencies to provide services to federal employees and contractors to mitigate privacy risks arising from data processing. These services would help federal employees and contractors protect their personal information.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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