Collection, Verification, and Disclosure of Information By Online Marketplaces to Inform Consumers

Floor Speech

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Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank so many in the Energy and Commerce Committee for their hard work. I want to say a special thank-you to Gus Bilirakis, who is the Republican cosponsor of this very important and bipartisan legislation. I also want to ditto all the words that he said about this important bill.

What we know is that the INFORM Consumers Act, H.R. 5502, protects American consumers when they shop online.

Counterfeit and stolen goods have become readily available on popular websites like Amazon and Facebook and beyond. As a result, American consumers face new dangers when they shop online. Counterfeit and stolen products defraud consumers, and they pose a risk to consumers' health, their safety, and their security.

Online marketplaces are failing right now to crack down on fraudsters and scammers. Instead, they actually have fueled high-profile cases of organized crime rings that are now brazenly hitting retail stores.

We have heard from consumers that Mr. Bilirakis mentioned. Many retailers are being hurt by this.

These stolen goods too often end up on the online marketplaces, and the INFORM Consumers Act puts an end to the online sale of dangerous products and stolen goods and limits criminal behavior.

The bill holds online marketplaces accountable for enabling criminal activity on their platforms. It requires online marketplaces to verify the identity of their third-party sellers. Verifying sellers lets Americans have confidence now, which we want them to have, when they shop online.

The bill empowers the Federal Trade Commission to enforce compliance with this bill.

I am grateful to my colleague, Mr. Bilirakis, and to all of those who have been supporting this legislation to finally protect consumers. I am proud that this bill has bipartisan support, and I certainly urge all of my colleagues to support the INFORM Consumers Act, H.R. 5502. Let's vote for it today.

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