Consumer Safety Technology Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 1770, the Consumer Safety Technology Act.

Our consumer protection agencies play a critical role in ensuring unsafe products do not enter the U.S. market. Advancements in technology, especially as it relates to artificial intelligence, have the potential to help alleviate the stress some of these agencies may face in being underfunded and understaffed.

H.R. 1770 would require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to stay up-to-date on new and emerging technologies by integrating them into their daily agency functions. It also requires the Federal Trade Commission to study blockchain technologies and tokens.

The CPSC and the FTC do important work to protect all Americans from dangerous products, including emerging technologies. While this bill will help assist in those efforts, it is no replacement for strong, independent, and bipartisan agencies or proper funding and staffing levels.

I hope, in addition to supporting this bill, that my Republican colleagues will finally speak up against President Trump's dangerous attempts to weaken or even dismantle these critical agencies.

I commend Representative Soto for his leadership on this issue, and I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 1770.
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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill on a bipartisan basis. It is important from a consumer safety point of view.

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