Janice Schakowsky

I also strongly support creating a public option to be offered in the marketplace.

I introduced legislation in the Public Option Deficit Reduction Act, which would create a publicly administered insurance plan.

A robust public option would increase marketplace competition, lower premiums for consumers, lower the Federal deficit.

I have introduced the Health Insurance Rate Review Act, which grants the Secretary of Health and Human Services the authority to deny or modify unreasonable premium rate increases.

According to a 2014 study done by HHS, the rate review requirement included in ObamaCare saved consumers nearly $1 billion on insurance premiums in 2013.

I must disclose that I have a personal interest in this topic. My husband and I have two very energetic rescue dogs at home, siblings named Franklin and Eleanor.

We do find out from our veterinarians all over the country that they are strongly opposed to this legislation.

So to obtain the medications they sell, secondary distributors have to buy products that are diverted from the traditional supply chain.

I just felt the tone of the questioning was a bit of badgering of the witness, who, you know, is fulfilling her job, and I appreciate it, at the Federal Trade Commission.

Now, the FTC has found that exclusivity agreements are common in the pet medications industry.

As you said, currently, most major manufacturers of pet medications use third-party distributors to market their products rather than selling directly to veterinarians or alternative retailers.

So, just a few weeks ago, the new chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association or NADA said that--or maybe it is NADA, NADA sounds--I don't know.

So, is the consumer promised a later date to come in and get a permanent remedy?

We ended up having to file a lawsuit to finally spring that rule free from OMB and the agency.

Should it have taken a lawsuit for DOT to start posting that information? And is this a pattern we should worry about?

I feel an obligation to the people from whom we received this letter and to the lost daughters of theirs that we make that perfectly clear.

I would like to see more progress in other areas, such as rear seat belt reminders.

And we just can't have another year like 2015.

These recalls keep on coming.

I am troubled by the report that some auto manufacturers may still be selling new vehicles with potentially defective Takata inflators.

The massive ongoing recalls of Takata airbags have remained a huge and complicated problem.

I worry that progress in these areas will be limited if we don't have enforceable standards.

I look forward to hearing today how NHTSA is addressing ongoing and emerging safety challenges.

We need to make sure the consumers fully understand what they are getting into.

Should we follow Texas' lead in requiring that notification as well?