Consumer Protection
My political career began as a consumer advocate when I led the successful campaign in 1969 to put freshness dates on products sold in the supermarket. I am a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, where I serve as the Chairwoman of the Consumer Protection subcommittee. On the Committee, I have continued my efforts to protect consumers from unfair business practices, unsafe products, insurance abuses, and harmful chemicals in products, and to improve the safety of children's products, vehicles, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.
Legislation I've Introduced
Safe Cosmetics Act – The Safe Cosmetics Act would phase out the use of dangerous chemicals, including carcinogens and reproductive toxins, from use in personal care products. Visit Cosmetic Safety for more information.
More on Consumer Protection
Today, Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) and Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) sent a letter to the leaders of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee opposing the nomination of Ms. Dana Baiocco to serve on the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and Bill Nelson (D-FL), Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, will hold a hearing on Ms. Baiocco’s nomination tomorrow.
Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Ranking Member of the Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee in the Energy and Commerce Committee, sent two letters asking for answers to understand the impact of the Kobe Steel scandal on vehicle safety. The letters, which were sent to the CEOs of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and Global Automakers, come following the recent admission by Kobe Steel that its employees routinely and systematically falsified inspection data about the products that they sold. These products were then used by, among other companies, automakers – potentially jeopardizing vehicle safety and putting American lives at risk.
Today, Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection (DCCP) Subcommittee Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky led the Democratic members of the Subcommittee, including Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, on a letter requesting further hearings to examine the Equifax data breach and bipartisan cooperation on legislation to protect consumers’ data. The letter, sent to Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden and DCCP Chairman Bob Latta, acknowledged the importance of DCCP’s initial efforts, but highlighted how the Subcommittee’s initial hearing fell short, saying:
Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Ranking Member of the Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee, reintroduced her Secure and Protect Americans’ Data Act (SPADA) in advance of former Equifax CEO Richard Smith’s appearance in her subcommittee tomorrow. The bill would enhance data security and require prompt notification and ongoing assistance to consumers in the event of a breach.
“Equifax jeopardized the data security of 143 million Americans, and it responded incompetently in the aftermath. We don’t just need answers. We need action.
Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection (DCCP) Subcommittee, released the following statement after Equifax CEO Richard Smith resigned in response to the massive data breach that compromised the personal information of 143 million Americans. Richard Smith will be testifying before the DCCP Subcommittee next week.
Washington, D.C. – Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) released the following statement today on new federal guidance for Automated Driving Systems released by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):
Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3388, the SELF-DRIVE Act. This bipartisan legislation on autonomous vehicles is the result of months of intense discussion and negotiations beginning in the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection (DCCP) Subcommittee, where Rep. Schakowsky serves as Ranking Member.
Washington, DC -- Today, legislative language from the HOT CARS Act was passed in the full House of Representatives as a part of the SELF-DRIVE Act of 2017. After its passage, Representatives Tim Ryan (D-OH), Peter King (R-NY), and Subcommittee Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) released the following statements:
Washington D.C. -Today, Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky released the following statement after the full Energy and Commerce Committee markup of the SAFE DRIVE Act:
“The bipartisan autonomous vehicle legislation reported by the Energy and Commerce Committee today was the result of months of discussion and weeks of intense negotiations. My goal throughout this process has been to make sure AV technology is deployed safely and that we also advance existing safety technologies.