Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection Hearing, RE: Enhancing FTC Consumer Protection in Financial Dealings, with Telemarketers, and on the Internet
WASHINGTON, DC,
Oct 23, 2007 -
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the consideration. I want to thank you for bringing these bills here today. We are to discuss three important pieces of legislation that concern the Federal Trade Commission. I must admit that’s not my favorite federal agency, but I’m glad to be here doing this today. Along with Chairman Dingell, and Chairman Rush, and Ranking Member Barton, I am an original cosponsor of the bill originally introduced by Ranking Member Stearn. I would like to commend you for the bipartisan nature of this hearing. Clearly, when we work in a bipartisan nature, we have the best outcomes, and I thank you both for your commitment to this process.
Along with Chairmen Dingell and Rush and Ranking Member Barton, I am a proud original cosponsor of a bill originally introduced by Ranking Member Stearns, H.R. 2601. This bill will extend the Federal Trade Commission’s authority to collect fees to administer and enforce the Do-Not-Call registry.
While I firmly believe in a free market society and that businesses should be able to formulate their own business practices and plans, I also firmly believe that Americans have a right to privacy. As Director Lydia Parnes so eloquently stated in her written testimony, the Do Not Call Registry “helps to restore the sanctity of the American dinner hour.”
People should be able to have the option of whether or not they want to receive phone calls from telemarketers in the privacy of their own homes. I should note parenthetically that politicians are excluded. And thanks to the Do Not Call Registry, consumers can sign up and are afforded that decision. In fact, since the creation of the registry, 146 million telephone numbers have been registered.
However, the authority for the Do Not Call Registry was only authorized for five years time; therefore, it’s imperative that we act swiftly to pass this important legislation to further extend the protection of privacy for Americans.
There are two other bills before us today, H.R. 3526, a bill to include all banking agencies within the existing regulatory authority under the Federal Trade Commission Act with respect to depository institutions. In a time of widespread allegation regarding unfair and deceptive financial practices in the field of mortgage lending, I agree with some of my colleagues that banking agencies should have this authority.
And, I must admit I was a little surprised to learn that they didn’t have this authority. I actually look forward to further discussing that oversight with Director Parnes today. And while I do realize that the House Financial Services Committee has held hearings on this issue, I support Chairman Rush’s intent of holding a more extensive hearing on this matter in the near future.
Finally, today, we will be discussing H.R. 3461, the SAFER NET Act. Last year, on our Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee we had an extensive investigation on one of the most disturbing topics I have ever encountered in my life: child exploitation over the Internet.
I will never forget the story of Masha Allen, who sat right here at our witness table, the brave little girl who told her story about the evils and exploitation she encountered both at the hands of her adopted father and the Internet. Her story was heartbreaking, and we must never let another child go through the same type of horror. It is crucial for the safety of our children for all of us to know about these evils so that we can help end this abusive and dangerous practice. Pedophiles are our enemy, our biggest enemy, but so also is lack of information; and I support the intent of this legislation.
Again, Mr Chairman, I want to thank you for holding this hearing and responding in such a bipartisan manner. This committee does do its best work when we function in a bipartisan manner. Last week, and really the last two weeks, we’ve seen Congress at its worst. And unfortunately because of the political impasse, we’ve been able to pass sensible reauthorization for the SCHIP. Mr. Chairman, this committee has some of the greatest intellectual firepower of any committee in the free world. And when we don’t respect the committee process, when we take a bill through like we took the SCHIP bill through, that violates the whole sanctity of this committee. Mr. Chairman, I hope you will speak with your leadership, let us get back to the table, renegotiate on the area of Children’s Health Insurance, because it is too important a program to be left only to the political consideration. With that, Mr. Chairman, I’ll yield back and balance my time.
