Video & Transcript Research : 'Consumer Protection'
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MN
Transcript Highlights:
- I move that Senate File 2323 be withdrawn from the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection and
- Senator Wickland moves that Senate File 2323 be withdrawn from the Committee on Commerce and Consumer
- Protection and re-referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services.
- the committee on Commerce and consumer the committee on Commerce and consumer protection<00:10:19.360
- >
to consumer protection and re-referred to consumer protection and re-referred to the<00:10:41.360
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- The only protections in place are for the professional dispensing fee, and so the protections do not
- Uh, it seeks to strengthen consumer protections against surprise billings by emergency medical services
- Well, and Butch said it all, and you know we support this bill because it is a consumer protection bill
- It's an important consumer protection bill.
- the patient against us and not us to protect the patient against them.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Surveillance-based price and wage discrimination prohibited 3/4/26
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Um, I'm really glad to be back here in commerce uh to protect consumers, small businesses, and competitive
- There's a black box that consumers or workers would need in that consumers or workers would need in order
- be back here in commerce uh to protect be back here in commerce uh to protect consumers,<00:01:19.280
- My name is Grace Getty, and I'm a policy analyst at Consumer Reports, where I focus on consumer protection
- We're a nonpartisan nonprofit with six million members across the U.S., and we also do consumer protection
Summary:
House File 3794, as amended by the A4 amendment, was heard in committee. Representative Greenman described the bill as a ban on surveillance-based pricing and wage discrimination, with a disclosure requirement for companies using automated data to set individualized prices or wages. The A4 amendment was adopted; Greenman said it updated language based on attorney general and stakeholder feedback and added a burden-shifting provision that would let consumers or workers establish a presumption, which companies could then rebut with data. Greenman and supporters argued the bill would stop companies from using personal data and AI tools to charge different prices to different people, while still allowing ordinary market-based discounts and clearly offered group discounts such as those for veterans, students, or teachers.
Supportive testimony came from the Minnesota Farmers Union, a neighborhood bookstore owner, Consumer Reports, and a small business owner. They said surveillance pricing undermines fairness, transparency, and competition, and cited examples such as different online prices based on location, browser history, or loyalty-program data. Testifiers also warned that AI-driven pricing and discounting can be opaque and discriminatory, and that small businesses cannot compete with large firms that control more data. Consumer Reports said consumers should not have to use workarounds like VPNs to compare prices and noted that some discounts based on personal data may also need sunlight and guardrails.
Opposition came from the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Progress. They argued the bill’s definitions are too broad and could sweep in ordinary business analytics, loyalty programs, targeted promotions, inventory tools, and even spreadsheets, creating compliance risk and discouraging innovation and investment. They also warned the bill could burden small businesses and interfere with workplace management and compensation decisions. During member discussion, several legislators voiced support for the bill as a transparency and fairness measure, while one member noted that the most egregious examples appear to be in e-commerce and said the committee was laying the bill over for further consideration.
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
House Executive Departments and Administration (03/05/2025)
Transcript Highlights:
- He said the Office of the Consumer Advocate is tasked with advocating for the consumer, particularly
- of Consumer of Consumer Advocate<00:16:10.880>
essentially <00:16:11.639>unchanged - c> Advocate the assistant consumer Advocate Advocate the assistant consumer Advocate and<00:17:42.480
- Assuming the Department of Energy appoints the existing Consumer Advocate, assistant Consumer Advocate
- The Office of the Consumer Advocate is needed to basically understand what's going on and protect not
Summary:
The hearing focused on House Bill 610, which would fold the Office of the Consumer Advocate into the Department of Energy rather than fully eliminate consumer advocacy functions. The prime sponsor argued the current office is small, funded by a special assessment on ratepayers, and duplicative of DOE work. He said moving the function to DOE would streamline energy policy review, reduce bureaucracy, and better focus the larger agency on lowering residential energy costs. He also disputed claims that the Consumer Advocate is independent, saying the office is appointed through a political process similar to DOE leadership.
Committee members and the sponsor discussed whether the bill would actually relocate existing positions or replace them, and whether the Department of Energy would absorb the cost of the transferred staff. The sponsor said the fiscal note shows roughly a million-dollar reduction in both revenue assessment and spending, and that the bill would effectively reduce the office from five positions to three. He also defended his cost estimates for energy-code-related housing impacts and said the Consumer Advocate has sometimes supported policies he считает increase costs, such as energy-efficiency measures and building code changes. He argued the office should focus more on energy supply and generation, including natural gas and nuclear, rather than efficiency alone.
Representative Wendy Thomas testified in opposition, saying the Consumer Advocate is an important, fair, and impartial voice for ratepayers and warning that the bill was fiscally irresponsible because the incumbent could still be owed salary and benefits if the office were repealed. She also said the bill’s drafting was confusing and that the Consumer Advocate’s role is to push back on utilities on behalf of consumers. Other members raised questions about whether the DOE would simply inherit the same political appointment structure and whether the bill would meaningfully lower bills. No vote was taken in the excerpt; the chair indicated additional testimony would follow, and the Department of Energy was present to answer questions.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee Jan 13th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- For those of you who missed me welcoming you to the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee
- Madam Chair and members of the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee.
- So just what, but again, not. litigation protection.
- We want to protect our kids. We want to protect their data.
- We want to protect our kids. We want to protect their data.
Summary:
The Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee heard two bills. AB 1159 by Assemblymember Addis would update California student data privacy law to extend protections to college students, limit how ed tech companies can collect and use student information, and add restrictions around sensitive data and generative AI use. Supporters, including Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, CFT, labor, civil rights, and education groups, said students and educators need stronger safeguards against invasive data collection and misuse. Opponents, including College Board, TechNet, CalChamber, and ACT Education, argued the bill was overly broad, could interfere with legitimate educational services and AI development, and raised concerns about a private right of action and impacts on adult students and recruitment opportunities.
AB 883 by Assemblymember Lowenthal would expedite deletion of personal information for elected and appointed officials under California’s data broker deletion system by having state agencies provide official lists to the privacy agency and requiring brokers to delete the information within five days. Supporters said the measure responds to rising threats, harassment, and violence against public officials and would help reduce exposure of their personal data. TechNet and TechC.A. opposed unless amended, citing concerns about exemptions for lawful data sharing, the five-day timeline, and litigation risk, while the author emphasized the bill does not create a new right but streamlines access to an existing deletion process.
Both bills were advanced after committee discussion and roll calls. AB 1159 passed 11-2 and was sent to the Judiciary Committee. AB 883 passed 14-0 and was sent to the Appropriations Committee.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- I had legislation on Lone Star Protection Act started it.
- I'm not an expert on how these protections happen, but yes.
- I think some of the protections have been put in place around the size of wall, size of protection, cameras
- I think some of the protections have been put in place around the size of wall, size of protection, cameras
- And that's to the benefit of consumers.
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Consumer Protection & Business Dec 5th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- Calling to order the meeting of the Consumer Protection and Business Committee for Friday, December 5th
- Well, what this really was was basically a consumer fraud center.
- We know consumer.
- That is a way we can protect the member from those issues as well as protect the credit union.
- I'm the Director of Consumer Services.
Summary:
The committee began with a work session on the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee’s cannabis market study, presented by JLARC staff member Susanna Pratt. The report found Washington’s cannabis production in 2023 was likely two to three times higher than retail sales, with production estimated at 292,000 to 443,000 pounds of THC versus 139,000 pounds sold. Pratt explained that canopy data are inconsistent and that the Liquor and Cannabis Board’s traceability system is incomplete and unreliable, limiting data-driven regulation, tax verification, recall tracking, and diversion enforcement. JLARC recommended that LCB submit a plan by the end of 2025 for obtaining accurate licensee data by the end of 2026; LCB partially concurred and said a 2027 timeline may be more realistic. JLARC also concluded that the social equity producer licenses would likely have only a minimal effect on statewide production capacity, and suggested the legislature consider broader ways to increase equity in the industry. Members asked about the slow issuance of social equity licenses and about comparable traceability systems in other states.
The committee then heard a series of presentations on fraud and scam prevention. Paul Benda of the American Bankers Association described the scale of fraud losses, the role of telecom spoofing, social media scam ads, SIM farms, and crypto ATMs, and argued for a shared-responsibility approach involving banks, telecoms, and platforms. Katie Clark of IQ Credit Union described member-to-member fraud, romance scams, and the operational and financial impacts on credit unions, and recommended better information sharing, safe harbors for returning scam-related funds, and stronger fraud education. Kyle Innes of SIFMA highlighted investor fraud and Washington’s 2009 report-and-hold law, which he said helped shape similar protections in most states, and emphasized the need for better communication among financial firms, APS, and law enforcement.
Brian Gerard and Ali Higgs from the Department of Financial Institutions discussed “pig butchering” and other investment scams, focusing on how scammers build trust through social media, dating apps, fake websites, and crypto schemes before extracting funds. Across the fraud presentations, witnesses repeatedly stressed consumer education, interagency information sharing, and stronger controls on telecom, social media, and crypto ATM activity. Members asked about model laws from other states, the role of financial education in schools, and whether crypto ATMs should be regulated or banned. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the meeting.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee Jun 18th, 2025
Communications and Conveyance
Transcript Highlights:
- And Tara Curtis, California Public Utilities Commission Director for Consumer Protection and Enforcement
- protection.
- that prioritize consumer privacy.
- We believe the balanced regulatory— framework is key for innovation while protecting consumers.
- It's important that if I'm in an Uber, I have additional protections.
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
Senate - Conservation Jan 22nd, 2026 at 09:35 am
Senate Conservation
Transcript Highlights:
- And we're seeing increased consumer outreach.
- One of my former lives was in consumer protection.
- protections involved in this program are in place, which increases participation and consumer confidence
- Is there any mechanism to protect those consumers that might not be technologically savvy from unscrupulous
- We have instituted consumer protection standards.
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
Ethics and Elections Mar 31st, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- THIS IS THE SAME PRINCIPLE THAT APPLIES TO UTILITIES EXCEPT IN THIS CASE IT COMES FROM THE CONSUMER.
- THE CONSUMERS FROM EXCESSIVE COSTS.
- AS WE'RE LOOKING AT STORM PROTECTION I THINK MAYBE THE NUMBER ONE BAROMETER IS REDUCTION OR RESTORATION
- THE WAY STORM PROTECTION WORKS IS A HAVE TO GIVE US A 10 YEAR PLAN OF HARDENING.
- GAETZ REGARDING THE STORM PROTECTION PLANS.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- How does the discount rate factor in or protect consumers from overpaying for transmission?
- In your opinion, does this protect consumers from this uncertainty?
- This proposal includes strong safeguards to protect both consumers and Texas' competitive retail electric
- protections.
- Yeah, it's a license to the state for precious metals dealer licenses, state consumer protection laws
Bills:
HB246, HB796, HB 1056, HB1544, HB1846, HB2001, HB2618, HB2625, HB2869, HB2898, HB3069, HB3114, HB3157, HB3228, HJR98, HB246
Keywords:
federal directives, state authority, Tenth Amendment, government enforcement, local governance, gold standard, legal tender, currency, transactional currency, financial transactions, electronic payment systems, state finance, regulatory compliance, electric trucks, charging infrastructure, advisory council, transportation, sustainability, criminal penalties, official information
HI
Hawaii 2025 Regular Session
CPC Public Hearing - Tue Apr 1, 2025 @ 2:00 PM HST
Consumer Protection & Commerce
Transcript Highlights:
- I'd like to call the Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce to order.
- Good afternoon, Chair Chun, Chair Maroshi, and members of the House Committee on Consumer Protection
- <00:14:54.360>
protection <00:14:54.759>and committee on consumer protection and committee - on consumer protection and commerce<00:14:55.440>
my <00:14:55.560>name <00:14:55.720>< - We have a great relationship with the Consumer Protection Agency in Japan as well, so I just want to
Summary:
The House Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce met on April 1 at the State Capitol and heard four measures. HCR 45/HR 38 urged the Public Utilities Commission to support transferring regulatory authority over motor carriers, water carriers, and other transportation means to the Department of Transportation; both the PUC and DOT testified in support, and members discussed that the resolution was largely symbolic because statutory changes would still be needed. HCR 58/HR 54 requested a geothermal energy working group; the Consumer Advocate, PUC, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, and Life of the Land supported it, while Students for Justice in Palestine at UH opposed it, citing an active injunction, environmental risks, and the need to prioritize Native and local community voices. Members asked about the injunction and community representation, and the PUC said it would support including Hawaiian community members in the working group. HCR 91/HR 87 sought insurance coverage for prosthetic and orthotic devices; a 14-year-old amputee testified in support, describing the need for sports prosthetics and arguing that coverage should allow people with limb loss to participate fully in school and athletics. HCR 102/HR 98 urged the Real Estate Commission to allow the salesperson exam to be administered in Japanese for timeshare sales; the Real Estate Commission opposed, while ARDA supported it, arguing there is a shortage of bilingual real estate professionals and that Japanese-language testing would help the timeshare industry and Japanese visitors. Members questioned the limited-license concept and public protection concerns, and the committee later amended the measure to a limited real estate salesperson’s license for timeshare sales, changing the target from Japanese-speaking visitors to Japanese nationals, before passing all four measures out of committee, with HCR 102 passing with amendments and the others passing as is.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Is it protective of public health?
- protective.
- So, the Office of OPUC doesn't represent individual consumers. We represent consumers as a class.
- Them as an agency, but you as an individual consumer can also intervene in the case.
- The dollars that consumers had to pay if the rate was not approved. Yes, that's correct.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee Mar 19th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- And although the FCC has a process, it might not be an effective backstop for consumer protection given
- Can you tell us a little bit more about how we are able to best protect consumers and anything that's
- We have a consumer affairs branch that addresses informal complaints from consumers for billing, service
- And consumers want this progress. We know that.
- Look, this is not... ...about taking options away from consumers.
Summary:
The committee held an informational hearing on Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) to examine its history, current operation, and possible future changes in California. Chair Tasha Berner said the hearing was prompted in part by AT&T’s 2023 request for relief from COLR obligations and by broader concerns about public safety, affordability, universal service, and access to modern broadband and telecommunications. The first panel featured a telecommunications expert who traced COLR back to universal service principles and explained how states have handled COLR differently, including full deregulation, limited rural obligations, or transition pathways tied to competition and customer protections. Members asked about affordability, federal and state processes for service withdrawal, and whether COLR remains necessary given modern competition.
CPUC staff then described California’s COLR framework, explaining that universal service rests on access, reliability/quality, and affordability, and that COLR requires carriers to provide basic service, including voice-grade calling, 911 access, relay services, and Lifeline. Staff said AT&T’s application sought relief in nearly all of its territory, but no replacement COLR came forward during the proceeding, and public participation hearings drew thousands of comments and strong concern from rural and vulnerable customers. The CPUC outlined its ongoing rulemaking to reconsider whether the 1996 COLR rules and 2012 basic-service definition still fit current conditions, with workshops and public hearings scheduled and a proposed decision expected later in the year or into 2026. Members pressed staff on geographic outreach, wireless coverage, whether broadband can be part of basic service, public safety during wildfires, and what reporting and complaint processes currently exist.
In the final panel, industry and public-interest witnesses sharply disagreed. A U.S. Telecom representative argued COLR is outdated, costly, and copper-focused, and said reform should allow technology-neutral alternatives such as wireless, fiber, and satellite while preserving reliable voice and emergency access. The CPUC Public Advocates Office countered that COLR remains a necessary public safeguard, especially for rural and low-income customers, and argued that any transition should maintain or improve service, with public benefits such as broadband investment and continued protections for 911, disability access, and affordability. Committee members focused on the difference between an obligation to serve everyone and a mere option to serve, and on whether the Legislature should provide clearer guidance as the CPUC’s rulemaking moves forward.
TX
Texas 89th Regular
Trade, Workforce & Economic Development Apr 9th, 2025
Trade, Workforce & Economic Development
Transcript Highlights:
- House Bill 3458 seeks to protect consumers by preventing the unethical sale of pets, including dogs and
- And because we are a brick-and-mortar store, we have the consumer protections afforded to us. by the
- They would lose all consumer protections provided by Texas law.
- We have... ...many language offerings that we can provide with consumer protection to better protect
- I want to ask you, is it really better for animal welfare to protect Texas jobs, protect consumer choices
Bills:
HB74, HB175, HB460, HB576, HB2271, HB2294, HB2874, HB3016, HB3133, HB3191, HB3458, HB3929, HB4063, HB4115, HB4394, HB74, HB175
Keywords:
Puerto Verde, Port Authority, eminent domain, bonds, tax assessments, economic development, infrastructure, transportation, public welfare, child care, certifications, Texas Rising Star Program, grant program, disability inclusion, family income, affordability, economic impact, state study, cost analysis, government support
NY
New York 2025-2026 Regular Session
New York State Senate Session - 06/02/2026
New York Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Senator May moves to discharge from the Committee on Consumer Protection, Assembly Bill 852B, and substitute
- Right now our state's consumer protection laws protect none of them.
- New York gives important consumer protections when they are sued over credit card debt, but those protections
- RIGHT NOW OUR STATE'S CONSUME PROTECTION LAWS PROTECT NONE OF THEM.
- NEW YORK GIVES IMPORTANT CONSUMER PROTECTIONS WHEN THEY ARE SUED OVER CREDIT CARD DEBT BUT THOSE PROTECTIONS
Summary:
The Senate convened, approved the prior day’s journal, and then processed a large number of motions to discharge bills from committees and substitute identical Senate or Assembly versions for third reading. The chamber also adopted the resolution calendar with exceptions and took up several resolutions and ceremonial recognitions, including a resolution mourning Hudson Talbott, a Dairy Month resolution highlighting New York’s dairy industry, and introductions honoring Niskayuna academic teams, Gabriella Scheer for receiving the Liberty Medal, the Hartstein family’s civic engagement, and Diana Cochran’s advocacy for safe firearm storage.
The Senate then moved through the calendar and passed many bills on topics including insurance, public health, education, labor, social services, banking, local government, veterans, public service, consumer protection, criminal procedure, cannabis, parks, taxation, election law, and highway matters. Several members explained votes on notable measures: support for acupuncture insurance coverage, consumer protections for doorbell-camera data sharing, expanded protections in debt collection cases, trauma-informed procedures for sexual assault survivors, a Legionnaires’ disease awareness program, changes to mandatory minimum sentencing, and universal safe storage of firearms. A number of home rule and local authorization bills were also approved, including parkland alienation measures and local tax exemption authorizations.
Most measures passed with broad bipartisan support, though some drew recorded opposition. Notable roll calls included the consumer debt uniformity bill, the mandatory minimum sentencing bill, the safe storage/firearms bill, and the public housing and public health measures, each with more divided votes. The chamber also accepted a lengthy Rules Committee report sending many additional bills directly to third reading, and then began the supplemental calendar, passing at least the first items before the transcript ended.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Jun 21st, 2026 at 10:00 am
Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure
Transcript Highlights:
- The Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure today will be hearing matters relating
- protection and professional licensure at malegislature.gov.
- Protection and Professional Licensure.
- Protection and Professional Licensure.
- this information and misleading consumers.
Summary:
The Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure held a hearing on alcohol licensing, sales, and consumption issues affecting bars, restaurants, package stores, and local communities. The chair outlined hybrid hearing procedures, including three-minute testimony limits and instructions for written testimony. The committee heard a local bill for Milford, H. 4169, authorizing an additional off-premises all-alcohol license for Charlie’s Mini Mart, with the understanding that the existing wine and malt license would be surrendered if the new license is granted.
A major topic was the long-running debate over happy hour. The Massachusetts Restaurant Association opposed bills such as S. 217, H. 349, and H. 443, arguing that discounted alcohol would intensify competition, create pressure on restaurants to participate, and potentially raise liquor liability and insurance costs. In contrast, Senator Julian Cyr testified in support of repealing the happy hour ban through a local-option framework, saying the bill includes safeguards such as no discounts after 10 p.m., fixed pricing during promotions, and advance posting requirements, and that it could help downtowns and seasonal businesses without creating a public health risk.
The Massachusetts Package Stores Association testified on a broad package of bills, opposing measures to reinstate happy hour, allow supplier control over retail shelf space (H. 350), impose a transfer fee on licenses (H. 351), authorize alcohol coupons or discounts (H. 381 and S. 219), and permit Thanksgiving alcohol sales (H. 428). It supported bills requiring beverage alcohol training for off-premise licensees (H. 344), restricting self-checkout for alcohol (H. 366), changing Section 15 grocery-store license rules (S. 213), and several other regulatory changes. The Distilled Spirits Council supported H. 350 on private label spirits, while acknowledging concerns about disclosure and preferential treatment; package store witnesses defended private labels as lawful products they create with manufacturers, and the council argued the bill should address consumer confusion and unfair competitive advantages. The hearing concluded with Chair Chan announcing committee poll results on other bills, including a number of favorable reports and study orders, and the committee then voted to close the hearing.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Appropriations Committee Jun 24th, 2026
Appropriations
Transcript Highlights:
- We urgently need the science and health research bond to protect our future and save lives.
- We urgently need science and health research bond to protect our future and save lives.
- Robert Harrell, I'm the Executive Director of the Consumer Federation of California.
- At the last hearing, there was discussion about fraud, consumer protection, and the distinction between
- Solutions presented in their same workflow. ...but consumers do not experience them that way.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Concerns have been raised that surplus lines policies do not have the same protections extended to consumers
- This is a consumer rights issue.
- Consumers and undermine reliability.
- That's good for the consumer and good for reliability.
- Consumers request reasons for being declined, canceled, or non-renewed.
Keywords:
dispatchable generation, electricity, natural gas, ERCOT, energy credits, utilities regulation, renewable energy, arbitration, insurance contracts, surplus lines, Texas law, insurance policy, boiler inspection, boiler safety, inspection report deadline, certificate inspection, authorized inspector, inspection agency, Health and Safety Code, board of boiler rules
AL
Alabama 2025 Regular Session
Alabama Senate Banking and Insurance Committee Feb 19th, 2025
Banking and Insurance
Transcript Highlights:
- These new fees will go... consumers.
- Well, we all want fairness; we want consumers to benefit.
- A pharmacist is kind of like the gatekeeper; you know we protect the consumer, and we have to protect
- the medical... consumer, and we have to protect the medical association.
- Alabama and protect the... so industry in Alabama and protect the consumers of Alabama.