[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6258]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    CONSUMER PRIVACY PROTECTION ACT

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, Jim Matheson and I 
introduced H.R. 1528, the Consumer Privacy Protection Act. Our 
legislation attempts to strike the proper balance between consumer 
privacy and innovation by requiring entities to provide consumers, in 
clear and easy to understand language, what information is being 
collected and how the information is being used. By giving the consumer 
more notice and choice, we can encourage strong Internet commerce while 
protecting consumer privacy.
  Overreaching privacy regulations could have a significant, negative 
economic impact at a time when many small businesses are struggling 
today. Only the consumer knows how he or she feels about the 
information being collected, the parties doing the collecting, and the 
purpose for which the information is collected. Congress cannot and 
should not make that decision for them. We need to place the control 
over consumer information with the actual consumer, and our legislation 
does this.

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