On Monday, Congress passed H.R. 5938, a bill that includes both the "Former Vice President Protection Act of 2008" and the "Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2008." Title I of the bill formally authorizes the Secret Service to protect the lives of former Vice Presidents, while Title II focuses on the prosecution and punishment of identity thieves and the perpetrators of computer crime. Under the new law, identity theft victims will be permitted to seek restitution in federal court in "an amount equal to the value of the time reasonably spent by the victim in an attempt to remediate the intended or actual harm incurred by the victim from the offense.’’ The act also contains several significant amendments to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, including: (i) the elimination of the $5,000 damage threshold in criminal actions brought under the statute and the "interstate communication" requirement under section (a)(2)(c); (ii) the creation of a prohibition against "cyber-extortion;" and (iii) a new requirement that individuals convicted under 18 U.S.C. 1030 forfeit property used to violate the CFAA, as well as any property derived from their violation of the CFAA or a conspiracy to commit such a violation. The text of the enrolled version of the bill is available here. Sadly, as congressional action begins to wane heading into the election season, hopes of passage are fading fast for the "Former Vice President's Hunting Buddy Protection Act," but stay tuned to the ICDP Blog for updates on this important piece of legislation.