Debbie Dingell: “I commend Chairman Oxley and his staff for working in an open, bipartisan manner on this legislation. I also want to…”

“I commend Chairman Oxley and his staff for working in an open, bipartisan manner on this legislation. I also want to commend our ranking member on the subcommittee, Mr. Manton, for his leadership on this and many other important legislative issues. The Federal Trade Commission is one of our most important independent agencies. Its core statutory duties are twofold: To prevent antitrust violations and to protect consumers from deceptive and unfair commercial practices. Its mission is vital to protecting the public interest. During the 103d Congress, our committee worked in a bipartisan fashion to enact two important laws involving the FTC. First, we enacted a compromise bill that broke the 14-year-old stalemate on FTC authorizing legislation. The bill provided a reasonable statutory framework, based on previous Commission policy statements, for determining whether acts or practices are unfair. The bill also beefed up the Commission's enforcement authorities in several important respects. Since enactment of this landmark legislation, the Commission has been able to choose among a broad spectrum of enforcement options against those who violate the FTC Act or Commission rules. Second, the 103d Congress enacted a telemarketing bill that provides new tools for the FTC and State law enforcement agencies to crack down on those who use a telephone to cheat, swindle, and defraud consumers.”