Consumer Protection

Recent events have only shown that our nation’s product safety laws are often outdated and not properly enforced. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), more than 30 million toys and 15 million other products intended for children were pulled from the shelves in 2007 due to health concerns, specifically high lead content. Recent outbreaks of E. coli and salmonella in the food supply have led to concerns over the safety of our food imports. And incidents of credit card fraud and identity theft have dramatically increased, prompting the need for new legislation.

I am committed to moving our country forward when it comes to consumer safety. Real changes must be made to protect us from unsafe products, and to ensure that the CPSC has the proper resources to make sure that regulations and standards are enforced.

Food Safety:
One of the most critical responsibilities of our government is to safeguard our nation’s food supply. While recalls serve as an immediate recourse, we need to ensure that contaminated food never makes it to our stores in the first place. We must create transparency throughout the entire food chain. To do this we need to employ more inspectors and better technology to track products from the farm to the fork. New technology can allow us to know what happens to our food when it leaves its point of origin until it gets to its destination. Additionally, we must provide American farmers with the tools they need to continue to produce a safe and abundant food supply, ensuring we maintain control over our food and decrease our reliance on imports.

Internet safety:
With the expansion of the Internet, new regulations have become necessary in order to protect children from sexual predators and to ensure sensitive personal information is not stolen by hackers. I support the efforts of advocacy groups that teach children how to safely use the Internet. I also voted for H.R. 964, the Securely Protect Yourself against Cyber Trespass Act. This bill is aimed at preventing material from being stolen from computers while mandating stricter punishments for perpetrators.

Toy safety:
All toys produced or imported into this country must be safe for our children. For this reason, I am a strong supporter of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (H.R. 4040), which became law on August 14, 2008. This new law: 1) increases the number of Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) inspectors to better monitor imports; 2) puts stricter limits on lead and phthalates (plastic softeners) allowed in children’s toys; 3) sets clear, tough standards for prohibited materials and provides strong, appropriate recourse for those who violate the standards; and 4) creates an online database of consumer reports of injuries caused by products. The database would include information about product safety from media reports, government studies, and health and childcare providers.

At the end of the page see the letter I sent to the House Energy and Commerce Committee in support of this bill.

Credit card abuse/protection:
Some credit card companies use hostile tactics in their contracts to abuse consumers. To combat this practice, I believe credit card terms should be more transparent. This would allow the consumer to know the exact agreement to which he or she is signing. To achieve this, I cosponsored the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights, H.R. 5244, which passed on September 23, 2008. This legislation: 1) prohibits a creditor from changing any term of the contract; 2) requires advance notice of credit card account rate increases and authorizes consumers who receive such notices to cancel the credit card without penalty; 3) requires each credit statement to include information on paying off the bill balance; and 4) restricts the frequency of over-the-limit fees. These steps will ensure that credit card companies do not take advantage of consumers.

Identity Theft:
In this 21st Century hi-tech world, identity theft can wreak havoc on a person’s life. I believe Congress must take the lead in providing greater safeguards and penalties against cyber-crime. As I already mentioned, I am a proud supporter of the Securely Protect Yourself against Cyber Trespass Act, H.R. 964 which includes provisions that make it a crime to steal personal information from one’s computer. I also encourage individuals to follow identity safety guidelines, such as only carrying necessary credit cards and IDs, never giving out personal information over the phone, and mail outgoing bills at the post office – not from a home mailbox. To supplement these measures, I am also working with my colleagues in Congress to better regulate cyber bullies and enhance our security systems in the technology sector.