Issue Position: Restore Consumer Protections and Rebuild Consumer Confidence

Issue Position

Strong and fair consumer protection laws help keep hard-earned dollars in the pockets of consumers. They also level the playing field for businesses. Most businesses play by the rules; those that don't must not gain competitive advantage by making misrepresentations or engaging in unscrupulous practices. I have spent my career standing up for consumers and small businesses, first at the Federal Trade Commission, then as an attorney in the private sector representing small business owners, and most recently as a state legislator. I have taken on financial firms when they engaged in predatory lending and other unfair practices, and I prevented insurance companies from taking advantage of seniors.

In Congress, I will work to ensure that our marketplace is fair, that there are effective rules, and that those rules are enforced.

Action: Stand up for American Consumers

Reinstate consumer and business protections. We need to reinstate important financial protections that were eliminated by the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act. These rules worked for decades and a return to them will help to bring responsibility and accountability on Wall Street.

Support the newly-created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by the Dodd-Frank Act is an important step in restoring consumer confidence and faith in our economy. The Senate should stop delaying the confirmation of the director for the Bureau, which is hindering its ability to engage in important consumer protection work that is critical to our economic recovery.

Keep families in their homes and help the housing industry. Right now, too many people are in foreclosure or worried that they may be soon. Foreclosure impacts not only the family when they lose their home, but also impacts the neighborhood. Oregonians should have access to every valid opportunity to prevent foreclosure. As a state legislator, I passed legislation that requires lenders to give homeowners facing foreclosure the opportunity to request a meeting and to do a good faith review of a homeowner's loan modification request. With thousands of homeowners at risk of foreclosure, I support taking further steps to ensure that more families are given every opportunity to stay in their home.

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