Today, the Senate Commerce Committee marked up the “Consumer Protection Remedies Act of 2022,” a bill introduced by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) to restore the Federal Trade Commission’s authority to return money to consumers victimized by illegal scams, fraud, and other unfair or deceptive practices. Public Knowledge urges Congress to pass this bill to ensure that harmed consumers receive just compensation from companies that have wronged them.
The following can be attributed to Sara Collins, Senior Policy Counsel at Public Knowledge:
“Victims of companies’ harmful or deceptive practices deserve to be made whole — which includes monetary relief. Since the decision in AMG Capital Management v. FTC, the FTC has not been able to disgorge companies’ ill-gotten gains. That means once consumers have been taken advantage of, the best the Commission can offer is to require companies not to do it again. That isn’t good enough. Congress must restore the FTC’s Section 13(b) authority, which allows the Commission to return money to consumers who have been harmed.”
You may view our recent letter to learn more about why the FTC’s Section 13(b) authority is important for consumers.
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.