Washington,
Dec 4 -
Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack (CA-45), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, capped off her distinguished Congressional career today with a major victory, as her bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the U.S. SAFE WEB Act officially became law. The U.S. SAFE WEB Act provides critically important consumer protections, allowing the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to combat cross-border fraud, spam and spyware. Bono Mack’s legislation extends the FTC’s authority to enforce the law until 2020.
“Even though the Internet serves billions of users worldwide – with e-commerce in the United States topping $200 billion last year for the first time and up nearly 20 percent so far this year – it still remains a work in progress,” Bono Mack said. “Yet, in just over 25 years, the Internet has not only changed our lives, it has become ‘part’ of our lives. Today, with nearly 1.5 billion credit cards in use in the United States, nearly everyone in America has a stake in making certain that the Federal Trade Commission has the powers it needs to fight online fraud. My legislation accomplishes that goal.”
First approved by Congress in 2006, the U.S. SAFE WEB Act authorizes the FTC to:
- Share information involving cross border fraud with foreign consumer protection agencies;
- Secure and protect confidential information from foreign consumer protection agencies from public disclosure that otherwise would not be shared by many foreign law enforcement agencies;
- Pursue fraud-based legal action by amending the “unfair or deceptive acts or practices” to include acts involving foreign commerce or material misconduct within the United States;
- Seek redress on behalf of foreign consumers victimized by U.S.-based wrong-doers; and finally
- Make criminal referrals for cross-border criminal activity when violations of FTC law also violate U.S. criminal law.
“Reauthorizing this law is a win-win,” Bono Mack continued. “It’s good for American consumers. It’s good for the future of e-commerce. And it’s the right thing to do for our nation and our friends around the world.”
Bono Mack leaves Congress as a widely recognized national leader on privacy and technology issues and a global champion of Internet freedom. In 2012, she was also elected as the first ever Chairman of the Women’s Policy Committee (WPC) in the House, which included 24 female Republican lawmakers from 17 states.
Congresswoman Bono Mack was first elected in 1998 to serve California’s 45th District in a special election held to fill the seat left vacant by her late husband, the Honorable Sonny Bono, who died in a tragic skiing accident. Since then, she has established herself as a respected and closely-watched leader on a wide range of critically important issues, but she focused her chairmanship on technology, job creation and consumer protection. In addition, she’s been at the forefront of the nationwide fight against prescription drug abuse, which impacts millions of teenagers across the United States and is now the fastest-growing drug problem in America and recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a public health epidemic, claiming the lives of more than 20,000 people a year.
A staunch fiscal conservative, Bono Mack also has been an outspoken proponent of dramatically reducing our nation’s staggering $16 trillion debt by cutting excessive and wasteful government spending, and by removing unnecessary, unfair and burdensome regulations which are choking off economic growth in America.
Bono Mack’s selection as Subcommittee Chairman for the 112th Congress was historic, making her the first Republican woman in American history to hold a gavel on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, one of the oldest standing committees in the U.S. House of Representatives, dating back to 1795.
Since becoming Chairman in 2011, Bono Mack spearheaded passage of legislation in the House which is credited with creating and saving thousands of U.S jobs; extending critically important safeguards for millions of Americans, helping to protect them from online fraud; and keeping the Internet free from government interference, benefitting billions of people worldwide.
When it comes to her home state of California, Bono Mack also sports a long list of notable achievements, including passage of legislation that established the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto National Mountains Monument in the Palm Springs region – which balanced private property rights with the preservation of unique lands – and was cited by the Secretary of the Interior as the model for future designations of this nature.
Bono Mack also successfully championed legislation to compensate the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indian Tribe for land lost in 1908. That agreement settled the longest-ever ongoing litigation in the Ninth Circuit Court of California.
In a major victory for consumers, Bono Mack passed landmark legislation that calls for “country-of-origin” labeling for fresh fruits and vegetables, in addition to several innovative energy-saving bills, rewarding companies for utilizing clean burning fuel technologies and increasing the energy-efficiency of federal buildings. The House of Representatives also overwhelmingly passed Bono Mack’s Spy Act, which helps to protect American’s personal information on the Internet.
As the daughter of a World War II veteran, Bono Mack has been deeply involved throughout her career on issues important to American veterans and active members of the U.S. military. Most notably, she played a key role in the creation of much-needed VA clinics in Blythe and Palm Desert.
During her distinguished career, Bono Mack also served as Co-Chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse, Vice-Chairman of the Entertainment Task Force, Co-Chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Intellectual Property Promotion and Piracy Prevention, and founder and Co-Chairman of the Recording Arts and Sciences Caucus. Her work in these areas and many others has been honored repeatedly by many of America’s leading organizations.
Bono Mack also has been the subject of numerous profiles, including: NBC's The Today Show, New York Times Magazine, USA Today, PEOPLE, Capital Style, ELLE Magazine, Entertainment Tonight, CNN's Larry King Live, Esquire, Roll Call, The Hill, GEORGE Magazine, Good Housekeeping, HELLO Magazine, Ladies' Home Journal, and PBS. In her first year in office, Bono Mack was named one of the Most Fascinating Women of the Year by Ladies' Home Journal magazine in conjunction with CBS Television. She was also selected by GEORGE Magazine as one of the 20 most fascinating women in politics. Most recently, she was profiled by the Washington Post following her selection as Chairman of the Women’s Policy Committee.
“As I prepare to leave Congress after more than 14 terrific years, I remain very optimistic about the future of America,” Bono Mack said. “Admittedly, we face some daunting challenges as a nation in the months and years ahead. But the true greatness of America is measured by the things that unite us, not divide us. We are a people bound by enduring ideals and principles, which are embedded in an unshakable belief in truth, justice, opportunity and freedom for all.
“Despite the many challenges we are facing today, I continue to believe that our best years are ahead of us, because ours is a nation which values courage, compassion and character and stands united – and undeterred – as freedom’s greatest ally around the world. It has been my extraordinary honor and great privilege to serve in the United States House of Representatives since 1998, and I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished. So today, looking back on my eight terms in Congress, I’m reminded of one of my favorite quotes: ‘Don’t be sad that it’s over. Be happy that it happened.’ As we approach this joyous holiday season, I have much to be thankful for and happy about. This truly has been an experience of a lifetime.”
Subcommitte Accomplishments
Legislative Accomplishments
District Project Funding
Bono Mack Awards
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