Consumer Protection

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Promoted electronic consumer protection.  Congressman Forbes supported a resolution (H.Con.Res.290) that supports the designation of June 30 as National ESIGN Day.  ESIGN refers to the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, which promotes the authenticity and legality of electronic contracts across state and national borders.  This resolution passed the House by a vote of 397-15.

Banned fraudulent use of caller ID numbers. Congressman Forbes supported the PHONE Act, H.R. 1110, to make it a federal crime to provide false caller identification information with the intent to defraud or deceive the recipient of a call about the identity of the caller. This bill passed the House by a vote of 418-1.

Voted in favor of H.R. 4040, which would establish consumer product safety standards and other safety requirements for children's products and reauthorize and modernize the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC is an independent government agency charged with overseeing the safety of consumer products and issuing most recalls. H.R. 4040 would implement stricter standards on the amount of lead in children’s products, bringing it to 100 parts per million total lead content by weight within 4 years. Within one year, the bill would require manufacturers of children’s products containing lead to have their products tested by a qualified independent third party and certify that it meets child safety standards. Furthermore, the bill would require manufacturers of children’s products to include product labels that enable manufacturers and purchasers to determine the time and location of its production. The bill grants the CPSC the authority to immediately share information about dangerous products with the public and ensures State public health agencies are kept informed. As Chairman of the Congressional China Caucus, Congressman Forbes has expressed his concerns to the Chinese Ambassador and visiting dignitaries from China’s government about the safety of the products they export to the United States.

Supported H.R. 2601, the Do-Not-Call Registry Fee Extension Act of 2007. H.R. 2601 would extend the authority of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to collect fees from telemarketers and sellers to administer and enforce the provisions relating to the “Do-Not-Call” registry of the Telemarketing Sales Rule through 2012. Telemarketers and sellers can access registered telephone numbers, and pay the applicable fee for that access, if any, through an Internet website dedicated to that purpose. The federal “Do-Not-Call” Registry was established in 2003 under rules by the FTC. Early in 2003, Congress passed and the President signed the Do-Not-Call Implementation Act, which provided the FTC the authority to collect fees and enforce the national registry through fiscal year 2007. The FTC rules prohibit telemarketers from calling numbers listed on the registry.

Supported H.R. 3541, the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007. H.R. 3541 would prohibit the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from removing telephone numbers from the national “do-not-call” list. Under current law, individuals are required to reregister their telephone numbers every five years. The bill also requires the FTC to remove disconnected or reassigned numbers twice per month. The original rule by the FTC required the list to be purged periodically.

Voted in favor of H.R. 3403, the 911 Modernization and Safety Act of 2007. H.R. 3403 would require IP-enabled voice service providers (Voice over Internet Protocol) to provide 911 and E-911 services to its subscribers. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would be required to issue regulations granting these providers access to the components that are necessary for 911 and E-911 services on the same rates, terms, and conditions as mobile service providers within 90 days of the bill’s enactment. H.R. 3403 would require the E-911 Implementation Coordination Office to develop a national plan for migrating to a national IP-enabled emergency network capable of receiving and responding to all citizen-activated emergency communications. The bill would provide liability protection for IP-enabled voice service providers equal to that of wireless providers for releasing subscriber information to emergency officials.

Cosponsored H.Res. 695, a resolution expressing support of a National Fire Fighter Appreciation Day. This resolution honors and celebrates the brave fire fighters of the United States who are integral to the safety and security of American.

Supported H.R. 1699, the Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act. H.R. 1699 would require the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to issue a standard within one year of enactment of this act that requires manufacturers of infant and toddler products including cribs, cradles, high chairs, strollers, activity centers and swings to provide consumers with a postage-paid registration form with specified products and maintain a record of the names and contact information of registered consumers for at least six years after the date the product was manufactured to notify consumers in the event of a voluntary or involuntary product recall. The bill would also permanently place the manufacturer name and contact information, model name and number, and the date of manufacture on each specified product.

Supported H.R. 2474, which would increase the maximum penalty for violations of the Consumer Product Safety Act, Federal Hazardous Substances Act, or the Flammable Fabrics Act. The Consumer Product Safety Act established the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) with the authority to develop standards to reduce the unreasonable risks of injury associated with consumer products and to either ban products where there is no feasible standard or pursue recalls for products that present a substantial product hazard.

Voted in favor of H.R. 3121, the Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act. H.R. 3121 would reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program. The legislation requires flood maps to be updated and maintained based on a 500-year floodplain. The bill also reestablishes the Technical Mapping Advisory Council to assist FEMA with flood mapping modernization. Membership would include the Army Corps of Engineers, local or regional flood agencies, state geographic information coordinators, flood insurance servicing companies, and real estate professionals, among others. The bill also requires FEMA to report on its plan to repay all funds borrowed from the Treasury within 10 years.

Supported H.Res. 658, which expresses the support of the House of Representatives for the goals and ideals of Federal Credit Union Month and recognizes the importance of Federal credit unions to the economy.

Supported H.Con.Res. 140, which recognizes lack of representation of minorities in the financial services industry and minorities and women in upper level positions of management, and expresses the sense of the Congress that active measures should be taken to increase the demographic diversity of the financial services industry.

Supported H.Res. 584, which expresses the support of the House of Representatives for the goals and ideals of "National Life Insurance Awareness Month." Life Insurance Awareness Month was created in response to growing concern about the large number of Americans who lack adequate life insurance protection. Forty percent of adult Americans have no life insurance coverage whatsoever.

Supported the H.R. 814, Children’s Gasoline Burn Prevention Act, which would require the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to implement a rule that all portable gasoline containers sold in the U.S. meet the child-resistance safety requirements currently issued by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International.

Cosponsored H.R. 1514, The Savings for Working Families Act, which would provide tax credits to financial institutions that match the savings of low-income families. H.R. 1514 would also provide $20 million for financial literacy and education for the savers by nonprofits.

Voted in favor of the Federal Customer Service Enhancement Act, H.R. 404. The Federal Customer Service Enhancement Act would require the establishment of performance measures to determine whether federal agencies are providing high quality customer service and standards to be met by federal agencies to provide high quality customer service.

Supported H. Res. 526, which declares the sense of the House that government action should be taken to protect buyers from unscrupulous mortgage brokers and lenders.

Cosponsored and voted in favor of H.Res. 273, a resolution supporting Financial Literacy Month. This legislation raises public awareness about the importance of financial education and calls on the President to issue a proclamation of support to encourage government entities, businesses, schools and other organizations to observe the month with appropriate programs and activities to increase financial literacy rates for individuals of all ages.

Voted for H. Res.477, a resolution recognizing National Homeownership Month and the importance of homeownership in building strong communities and families in the United States.

Voted for H. Res.513, a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of National Save for Retirement Week. Save for Retirement Week, October 21-27, 2007, is part of an ongoing effort to encourage employees across the nation to save for retirement through their employer-provided retirement plans and to promote awareness about the need to save for retirement.

Voted in favor of H.R. 1525, the Internet Spyware (I-SPY) Prevention Act of 2007, legislation that would make it a criminal offense for an individual to intentionally access a protected computer without authorization for criminal activities; to obtain or transmit personal information with the intent to defraud or injure a person; or to impair the security protection of a computer. A Consumer Reports survey found that consumers paid as much $7.8 billion in 2004-2005 to repair or replace computers that were infected with viruses and spyware.

Cosponsored H.R. 1525, the Internet Spyware (I-SPY) Prevention Act of 2007, which would make it a criminal offense for an individual to intentionally access a protected computer without authorization for criminal activities; to obtain or transmit personal information with the intent to defraud or injure a person; or to impair the security protection of a computer. A Consumer Reports survey found that consumers paid as much $7.8 billion in 2004-2005 to repair or replace computers that were infected with viruses and spyware.

Cosponsored the Internet Consumer Protection Act, H.R. 1077. This legislation would permanently ban taxes on internet usage and would also prevent the creation of new state and local taxes on internet access or use. The proposed ban also includes the creation of a special sales tax for purchases made on the internet. The current ban is set to expire at the end of this year.

Participated in an Anti-Trust Task Force Hearing on "Competition and the Future of Digital Music." At its first hearing, the panel addressed the recently proposed XM-Sirius Satellite Radio merger. Congressman Forbes pressed Mr. Mel Karmazin, the chief executive of Sirius Satellite Radio, on the company's ability to provide consumers with reliable service at competitive prices.

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