Under the guise of protecting all Americans from this growing crime, Congress wants to take those tools away. The California congressional delegation must not allow it. It should fight instead to extend the rights enjoyed by Californians to others around the country.

The first law forces companies that lose sensitive information about consumers -- or have that information stolen -- to notify those affected. The law helped publicize data breaches at ChoicePoint and dozens of other firms and put millions of Americans on notice that they were at risk of identity theft.

The second law gives those who believe they are at risk of being victimized a nearly fail-safe way to protect themselves by placing a ``freeze'' on their credit reports. Accounts that are frozen are invulnerable to identity thieves.

But if the bill that passed the House Committee on Financial Services is any indication, Capitol Hill's idea of a solution appears to be preempt tough state laws with weak federal one.

Click the link below to let congress know that identity theft laws should protect consumers not the businesses that fail to protect the information.

A former Kiefer minister was formally arraigned Tuesday in Creek County District Court on charges of identity theft and forgery. Shorey was taken into custody after an arrest warrant was issued alleging he spent more than $5,000 from a credit card he illegally obtained while pastoring the Kiefer Assembly of God Church.

The problem of drivers stealing other peoples' identities has been around for years, long before the term "identity theft" was coined. But it appears to be growing in Broward County and nationally as drivers give the name of their mother or father, daughter or son, aunt or uncle, friend or enemy. Even triplets do it, Broward judges have found.