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“HONORING THE MEN AND WOMEN OF TRIWEST FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING EFFORTS IN COMBATING IDENTITY THEFT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E2056 on Nov. 18, 2004.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING THE MEN AND WOMEN OF TRIWEST FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING EFFORTS IN
COMBATING IDENTITY THEFT
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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.
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