[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 203 (Monday, December 16, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H10286-H10287]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                EXTENDING THE U.S. SAFE WEB ACT OF 2006

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4779) to extend the Undertaking Spam, Spyware, And Fraud 
Enforcement With Enforcers beyond Borders Act of 2006, and for other 
purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4779

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF THE U.S. SAFE WEB ACT OF 2006.

       Section 13 of the U.S. SAFE WEB Act of 2006 (Public Law 
     109-455; 15 U.S.C. 44 note) is amended by striking 
     ``September 30, 2020'' and inserting ``September 30, 2027''.

     SEC. 2. REPORT.

       Not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Federal Trade Commission shall transmit to the 
     Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
     Transportation of the Senate a report describing its use of 
     and experience with the authority granted by the U.S. SAFE 
     WEB Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-455) and the amendments made 
     by such Act. The report shall include--
       (1) the number of cross-border complaints received and 
     acted upon by the Commission;
       (2) identification of the foreign agencies with which the 
     Commission has cooperated and the results of such 
     cooperation, including any foreign agency enforcement action 
     or lack thereof;
       (3) a description of Commission litigation brought in 
     foreign courts and the results of such litigation; and
       (4) any recommendations for legislation that may advance 
     the mission of the Commission in carrying out the U.S. SAFE 
     WEB Act of 2006 and the amendments made by such Act.

     SEC. 3. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

       The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
     complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall 
     be determined by reference to the latest statement titled 
     ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, 
     submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the 
     Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such 
     statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Illinois.
  General Leave
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous materials on H.R. 4779.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4779, a bill to extend 
the U.S. SAFE WEB Act of 2006. This legislation, which I have 
cosponsored, was introduced by the ranking member of the Consumer 
Protection and Commerce Subcommittee, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and 
Representatives Robin Kelly and Larry Bucshon. It advanced out of the 
Energy and Commerce Committee without objection.

                              {time}  1615

  With our increased global and connected marketplace, American 
consumers and businesses are facing a growing number of complex threats 
from foreign wrongdoers. The United States SAFE WEB Act protects us 
from bad actors engaged in unfair or deceptive acts or practices by 
giving the Federal Trade Commission the authority and tools it needs to 
pursue enforcement actions against them.
  It has already been used to great effect to protect consumers in a 
wide range of cases, including scams that prey on older adults and 
connected toys that prey on our children's privacy. Reauthorizing the 
U.S. SAFE WEB Act is supported by all five commissioners at the Federal 
Trade Commission. This legislation would extend the U.S. SAFE WEB Act 
for another 7 years.
  Mr. Speaker, I call on all my colleagues to support this measure, and 
I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4779, the U.S. SAFE WEB Act. 
H.R. 4779 extends the U.S. SAFE WEB Act through 2027 and requires the 
Federal Trade Commission to submit a report detailing how the 
commission has used the program, how many cross-border

[[Page H10287]]

complaints the commission has received and acted upon, the 
identification of foreign agencies the commission has cooperated with 
on enforcement actions, the litigation the commission has brought in 
foreign courts, and any recommendations the commission may have to 
advance its international mission.
  The SAFE WEB Act ensures the FTC has the tools it needs to protect 
American consumers from foreign bad actors with respect to data 
privacy, data breaches, spyware, spam, robocalls, and the like. This is 
an important program to ensure cross-border data flows that are 
critical for our small businesses to have a global reach in our ever-
connected world. This act also reinforces our efforts to set a strong 
Federal standard for consumer privacy to show the world we are united 
in this undertaking.
  I want to thank the Republican leader of the Consumer Protection and 
Commerce Subcommittee, Mrs. Rodgers; Dr. Bucshon; Ms. Kelly; and the 
chair, Chair Schakowsky, for their bipartisan work to extend this 
critical program.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and seeing 
that I have no further speakers, I am prepared to close. I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, but I do want to 
say that this is an example of bipartisan legislation that I am so 
proud of that has come out of the Consumer Protection and Commerce 
Subcommittee, and I am really grateful to my ranking Republican, her 
authorship of this legislation and her work to get it passed that will 
certainly protect us from foreign bad actors, scams, and deceptive 
practices. It gives the Federal Trade Commission more authority.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a bill that I am hoping that all of our 
colleagues can endorse, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank the chair for her work 
on this legislation. I urge support of H.R. 4779 from this House, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4779, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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