July 14, 2015
John Quinn, DC Bureau
Washington, DC – Senate legislation introduced would provide individuals affected by the recent cyberattacks on Office of Personnel Management data systems with free lifetime credit monitoring. Long-term threats to employees' personal finances, credit, physical safety cannot be underestimated, says AFGE.
"In order to protect the personal data of the millions of individuals affected by the data breach from this point forward, at a minimum, federal employees deserve free lifetime credit monitoring and liability insurance that covers the entirety of any loss attributable to the breach," AFGE Legislative and Political Director Beth Moten said in a July 9 letter to Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland.
Cardin introduced the legislation July 9 along with Sens. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland and Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia. It mandates expanded identity theft coverage for federal workers, contractors and other individuals affected by the data breaches, including lifetime credit monitoring and not less than $5 million of identity theft insurance.
"With the personal information of millions of people stolen, we cannot underestimate the long-term threats to federal employees' personal finances, credit, and physical safety," Moten wrote.
