Pallone & Schakowsky Praise House Passage of Three Bills to Protect Consumers & Strengthen the Economy

Press Release

Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Chair Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) released the following joint statement today after the House of Representatives passed three consumer protection and commerce bills:

"This week, the House is continuing its work to strengthen our economy and protect consumers by passing three pieces of commonsense legislation. Together, these bills will help curb the deluge of counterfeit, defective, and unsafe products on e-commerce sites, bolster our nation's manufacturing industry to promote America's global economic competitiveness, and protect animals from inhumane practices. We're grateful for the work that went into these bills, appreciate the bipartisan support they've received, and urge swift consideration in the Senate."

The House of Representatives passed the following three bills:

H.R. 5502, the "Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers Act," was introduced by Schakowsky and Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Ranking Member Gus Bilirakis (R-FL). The bill requires online platforms to verify the identity of high-volume third-party sellers by obtaining and authenticating the seller's name, tax ID, bank account information, and contact information. This additional transparency will help combat the online sale of stolen, counterfeit, and dangerous consumer products and enable consumers to contact and seek recourse from such sellers. The bill passed en bloc by a vote of 381-39.

H.R. 6290, the "Manufacturing.gov Act," was introduced by Reps. Paul Tonko (D-NY), Cindy Axne (D-IA), and Fred Upton (R-MI). The bill requires the Department of Commerce to establish a section of the manufacturing.gov website to serve as the primary hub for information relating to federal manufacturing programs. The bill passed en bloc by a vote of 381-39.

H.R. 5441, the "Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2021," or the "PAST Act," was introduced by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) and 212 other original bipartisan cosponsors. The legislation requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to prescribe regulations for persons qualified to detect and prevent horse soring, which is the practice of applying an irritating or blistering agent to a limb of a horse to accentuate the horse's gait. The bill also increases penalties for imprisonment and fines for violators of the Act. The bill passed on the House Floor on Monday by a vote of 304-111.

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