Transcript Highlights:

• Congress has charged both the OSTP and the FTC.
• Over the years the FTC has faced off in big tech.
• The FTC hasn't done so much here.
• We look forward to seeing you go to the FTC.
• So the FTC is right.

Keywords: Senate Committee, Commerce, Science, Technology, Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence, FTC, Consumer Protection, Innovation, Emerging Technologies

Summary: The meeting of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation featured significant discussions regarding technological advancements and their implications for the future. Notably, nominations were made for key positions in the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Federal Trade Commission. Committee members expressed the importance of leading in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing, emphasizing that the pace of innovation is crucial for maintaining the United States' global position as a leader in technology. The discussions also highlighted the role of the FTC in protecting consumers from deceptive business practices and ensuring fair competition in the marketplace. Attendees underscored the urgency of advancing research and development in areas such as quantum computing, as evidenced by a demonstration of a new quantum chip anticipated to redefine computing capabilities across industries. Various members engaged in vibrant exchanges, showing support for initiatives aimed at bolstering innovation through public and private collaboration. Overall, the meeting set a strong agenda for pursuing future science and technology policies that ensure the U.S. remains at the forefront of global advancements.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 1318 makes a technical change to clarify that when an FTC scholarship account is closed,

Bills: S0182, S1318, S1690

Keywords: education, Florida schools, charter schools, private schools, school choice, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, FTC scholarship, scholarship accounts, fund reversion, public school curriculum, cursive writing, handwriting, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, patriotic programs, In God We Trust, teacher mentoring, teacher training, new teacher support, classroom management

Summary: The Senate Education Pre-K through 12 Committee considered three bills and reported all of them favorably. SB 1318 by Senator Rodriguez made a technical clarification to the Florida tax credit scholarship program so that when a scholarship account is closed, any remaining funds revert but do not revert to the state. The bill was taken up without debate and passed on a favorable roll call vote. The committee then heard CS for SB 1690 by Senator Calatayud on child care and early learning services. The bill updates child care laws, improves transparency and accountability, clarifies terminology, and aims to avoid over-regulating before- and after-school programs. The committee adopted an amendment clarifying rulemaking authority, shifting it to the State Board of Education. Senator Berman questioned a provision related to information on leaving children in vehicles, and Senator Calatayud said she would follow up. The committee then voted the bill favorably. Finally, the committee considered CS for SB 182 by Senator Jones on school teacher training and mentoring programs. A strike-all amendment aligned the bill with the House companion, limited mentor placements to D- and F-rated schools, expanded participation to districts and charter schools, tightened mentor qualifications, authorized stipends up to $3,000, and allowed use of educational enrichment funds. The amendment was adopted, supportive appearance forms were waived in, and the bill was reported favorably. At the end of the meeting, members recognized committee staff and applauded Kathy Missouri for her last committee meeting, and senators later recorded additional affirmative votes before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Finally, We want to commit the FTC to finish work that has started in studying the impact of PBMs on
• right now, because President Trump fired the two Democratic FTC commissioners.
• The FTC can operate and have a quorum with fewer than five commissioners, and the FTC's legal counsel
• Requiring a final study for something that the FTC is already looking into is far from a heavy lift,
• And that process, plus the additional authorities that this bill grants the FTC, should be enough to

Bills: SB1040, SB1041, SB1095, SB1096, SB1097, SB527

Keywords: drug competition, product hopping, generic drugs, biosimilars, federal regulations, FTC Act, patent, biological products, healthcare access, affordable prescriptions, Medicare, Federal Trade Commission, sham petitions, competition, public health, unfair competition, healthcare, pharmaceutical, antitrust law, pay-for-delay

Summary: The meeting focused on addressing the high cost of prescription drugs and the abusive practices that contribute to elevated prices affecting American families. Several bills were presented, including proposals to end pay-for-delay deals and to enhance transparency in the operations of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The discussion was notable for its emphasis on consumer protection and ensuring that cheaper generic drugs reach the market more effectively. Members expressed frustration over past attempts to pass similar legislation stalling in the Senate, leading to renewed efforts to push these bills forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• Meador's experience working at the FTC, at the Department of Justice, here in the Senate will serve him
• The committee also should focus on protecting consumers from scams and the FTC consumers report shows
• that one point one point 1 billion consumers lost I mean I that's can't be right according to the FTC
• Medder's nomination to the FTC.
• Medder is the right person for the FTC.

Bills: SB244, SB28, SB289, SB323, SB389, SB414, SB428, SB433, SB582, SB613, SB759, SB792, SB841, SB843, SB97

Keywords: national security, cybersecurity, consumer technology, routers, modems, study, communication, consumer protection, smart devices, transparency, internet-connected devices, FTC enforcement, broadband, infrastructure, federal programs, internet access, accessibility, affordability, deployment, government coordination

Summary: The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held an important meeting where they discussed various bills aimed at addressing pressing issues like consumer protection, technology, and environmental management. Chairman Cruz opened the meeting by emphasizing the role of subpoenas in ensuring accountability and oversight, highlighting a recent compliance from several parties following such threats. The meeting progressed to consider several bills, including the Romance Scam Prevention Act championed by Senator Blackburn, which seeks to protect vulnerable populations from online dating scams that have resulted in enormous financial losses, particularly among seniors. The committee also nominated Michael Kratios for the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Mark Medder for the Federal Trade Commission, underscoring the significance of leadership in fostering innovation and consumer protection in technology sectors.

Transcript Highlights:

• I have more money and 5 more FTC money that I expect.
• Let's take a pet student, for example, as their only funded with FTC funds.
• We provide FTC students to the daily.
• list for cross checking and released FTC funds before the cross check is checking and released FTC funds
• It the FTC scholarship isn't nearly as complicated happen.

Transcript Highlights:

• Financial eligibility restrictions for both the FESUA and FTC programs were also limited starting with
• the total amount of FES program scholarships and up to 3% of the total amount of FTE scholarships, FTC
• Financial eligibility restrictions for both the FESEO and FTC programs were also limited starting by
• Regarding the FTC, the department’s cross-check responsibilities for the FTC program were a bit more
• Regarding the FTC, the department's cross-check responsibilities for the FTC program a bit more limited

Summary: The Senate Appropriations Committee on Pre-K-12 Education met for its first meeting of the 2025 session to hear the Auditor General’s operational audit on 2024-25 school funding accountability challenges, focused largely on the Family Empowerment Scholarship and its interaction with the FEFP. Deputy Auditor General Matthew Tracy described rapid growth in scholarship enrollment, timing mismatches between scholarship payments and public-school funding calculations, delayed membership survey processing, weak cross-check and recoupment procedures, inconsistent handling of parent survey responses, and limited documentation for withholding and returning funds. The audit said these issues contributed to funding inequities, duplicate-payment risks, and an unexpected draw on state education funds, and it recommended separating scholarship funding from the FEFP, aligning application windows with budget timing, strengthening controls and staffing, and creating clearer, documented recoupment and balance-limit processes. Committee members questioned whether current law gives the department and scholarship funding organizations enough authority and whether the system is effectively a pay-and-chase model. Several senators expressed concern about the lack of timely reconciliation, the size of the funds involved, and the absence of clear records showing how money was recovered or withheld. Adam Emerson, executive director of the Office of School Choice, said the department is working more closely with school districts and scholarship funding organizations, including pausing payments when districts identify students still enrolled in public schools, and said the office wants to improve the process. President Gates then previewed legislation he said would address the audit’s findings by funding Family Empowerment Scholarships as a separate FEFP categorical, expanding the Education Stabilization Fund, setting clearer application and acceptance deadlines, moving to monthly payments with eligibility verification before each payment, assigning student IDs for scholarship assistance, lowering SFO management fees, requiring annual audits, and requiring prompt return of audit-related funds. Public comment included a private-school attorney describing losses from unpaid scholarship amounts. Members generally supported the need for reform, with several senators saying the program should be preserved but better structured and more accountable. The committee adjourned after the discussion, with no vote taken on the legislation.

Transcript Highlights:

• END THERE WAS ONE FTC SCHOLARSHIP AND TO FES EO PROGRAM TRANSPORTATION PAYMENTS THAT WERE MADE 80 AND
• FSUA REIMBURSEMENTS AND WE FOUND THAT EIGHT OF THE FTC SCHOLARSHIPS AND SEL REIMBURSEMENTS WERE PAID
• THE FTC PROGRAM THE SFO MUST MAKE PAYMENTS AFTER THE SFO VERIFIES ENROLLMENT AND ATTENDANCE.
• AND WE HAVE ISSUES REGARDING THE FTC CROSS CHECKS AS WELL.
• ON THE FTC PARTICIPANTS ON 2F AND 3F.

Transcript Highlights:

• TALK ABOUT QUARTER 2 PAYMENTS FOR THE FES AND MOVE IN TO TALK ABOUT HOW QUARTER 2 PAYMENTS WENT FOR FTC
• MEMBERS, AT THIS TIME WE ARE GOING TO MOVE ON AND ASK QUESTIONS REGARDING THE SECOND QUARTER OF THE FTC
• PANEL, BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO THE FTC AND MEMBERS, I DO WANT TO SHARE I WILL HAVE MAJOR BEFORE WE MOVE
• MOVING ON TO THE FTC SECOND QUARTER PAYMENT AND WE WILL GO MUCH QUICKER THROUGH THIS PORTION.
• WE WILL FOLLOW THE SAME POLICIES WITH FTC AS WE DO WITH FSC 03 AND WE DON'T HAVE THE INFORMATION BUT

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, we had with this FTC in 2022.
• And the FTC was looking into that.
• But we had an FTC, we have an FTC that was on on all three of those cases.
• Meta has repeatedly violated an FTC consent decree to protect children's privacy.
• I remember the FTC find Google not that, or sorry, find Meta not that long ago.

Keywords: antitrust, competition policy, digital advertising, monopoly, America Act, big tech, consumer rights

Summary: The meeting, titled 'Big Fixes, Big Tech', marked the first hearing of the Senate antitrust competition policy and consumer rights subcommittee in the 119th Congress. Chairman Lee opened the session focusing on the urgent need for effective solutions regarding anti-competitive behavior among major tech firms like Google and Facebook, highlighting several ongoing court cases regarding monopolistic practices in the digital advertising and search markets. Key discussions included the limitations imposed on small businesses and innovation due to the dominance of these tech giants, with many testimonies advocating for stronger legislative measures, including the America Act. The act aims to disrupt the monopolistic capabilities of these firms and restore competitive integrity in the marketplace, which has suffered under their oppressive market control.

Transcript Highlights:

• don't take that information; we refer them and say, could you send that to the FTC, because they're
• you send that to the FTC because because they're<00:21:26.360> tracking<00:21:26.760> that
• Um, I've never worked for the FTC, so I can't speak for them, but um, yes.
• I've never worked for the FTC, so I can't speak for them, but yes, thank you, Senator Duckworth.
• I've never worked for the FTC, so I can't speak for them, but yes.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We know that there is an FTC, Federal Trade Commission, ruling, but the question is whether, with the
• So what 973 does, it harmonizes with the FTC rule.
• So what 973 does, it harmonizes with the FTC rule.
• the same time, in American law, you already can't do false advertising, and this is managed by the FTC
• rule um but how am aware of this FTC rule um but how easy<00:25:28.679> is<00:25:28.799> it

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The joint hearing of the House Committees on Tourism, Housing, and Economic Development and Technology began with House Bill 604, which would raise the transient accommodations tax by 1 percentage point starting January 1, 2026 and direct the revenue to the Hawaiian Homes General Loan Fund. The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands supported the bill as a source of consistent funding, while the Grassroots Institute of Hawaii and the Tax Foundation of Hawaii opposed it, warning that Hawaii already has very high tourism taxes and that further increases could hurt visitors, workers, and the broader economy. The committees later voted to pass HB 604 with amendments as an HD1 and to defer the date; the vote was adopted, with one member noted as having reservations in the housing committee vote and one no vote in that committee. The committees then heard House Bill 973, which would require transient accommodations brokers and others to display all resort fees, taxes, and government-imposed charges upfront in advertised prices and would establish penalties. The Office of Consumer Protection expressed concerns about the bill’s intent requirement and noted a forthcoming federal FTC rule on junk fees; the Hawaii Hotel Alliance strongly supported the measure as promoting transparency and uniformity, and a public witness also supported price transparency while questioning the size of the penalties. After questions about federal rescission of the FTC rule and enforcement authority, the committees voted to pass HB 973 with amendments as an HD1, including removal of the intent requirement and technical changes, and the recommendation was adopted unanimously. House Bill 594, relating to hotel service disruptions, would require hotel keepers to give notice of disruptions to guests and third-party vendors and allow damages. The Attorney General’s office recommended amendments to add a purpose section and savings clause to address First Amendment and contract clause issues, and Unite Here Local 5 supported the bill, saying guests are not always notified of disruptions and that the measure would improve transparency; the union agreed with the legal amendments. The committees voted to pass HB 594 with amendments as an HD1 and to defer the date, adopting the recommendation. The final measures were House Bill 448 and House Bill 449, both related to technology enablement and economic development for small businesses, including tourism-related businesses. HTDC strongly supported both bills but emphasized that technology should be targeted to the actual problem and coordinated with sister agencies rather than applied broadly; the Hawaii Food Industry Association and Chamber of Commerce also supported HB 448, and HB 449 received support from HTDC and HFIA. The committees adopted amendments to HB 448, including moving a $250,000 appropriation to the committee report, and to HB 449, including deleting duplicative language tied to HB 448 and moving a $500,000 appropriation to the committee report; both bills were passed as HD1s with deferred dates, and the hearing adjourned after the votes were adopted.

Transcript Highlights:

• The FTC and the media in instances of breaches affecting more than 500 individuals.
• law encapsulates the FTC standards.
• FTC standards are already FTC standards are already Incorporated<00:23:33.559> uh<00:23:33.919
• <00:23:37.919> standards<00:23:38.919> when difference to those FTC standards when
• difference to those FTC standards when we<00:23:39.600> pursue<00:23:40.039> our<00:23:

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee held its first hearing of the 2025 session and reviewed several measures. SB 102 would restrict third-party restaurant reservation services from listing or selling reservations without a written agreement from the restaurant; the Attorney General recommended amendments to strengthen the bill against First Amendment and Contracts Clause challenges, and the Hawaii Restaurant Association strongly supported it, saying restaurants should control who represents them. The committee also heard SB 137 on electric utility mergers and acquisitions, with support from Ulupono Initiative and IBW Local 1260. Supporters said the bill would preserve state policy protections, including renewable energy and rate-making goals, and protect workers; IBW also suggested amendments, including a severability clause. The committee discussed a possible alternative approach from the PUC involving solicitation of bids from non-investor-owned utilities, and Ulupono said it would consider that idea but was concerned about preserving time for co-op formation. Members then heard SB 142, which would require insurers paying claims by check to send them by certified mail with restricted delivery and return receipt. The Insurance Division stood on its written testimony, while the Hawaiian Insurers Council, State Farm, NAMIC, and the American Property Casualty Insurance Association opposed the bill. A senator questioned whether the measure was too prescriptive and could create problems for claimants displaced by disasters; the response was that insurers and claimants usually remain in contact and that other payment methods may already be available depending on the carrier. SB 157 would ban algorithmic price setting in Hawaii’s rental market and require a public education program; the committee noted written testimony in support and comment, but no oral testimony was taken before moving on. SB 158 would create a state-owned bank implementation board within DCCA; DCCA’s financial institutions division, the Budget and Finance Department, and the Legislative Reference Bureau submitted comments, while the Hawaii Bankers Association opposed and the Hawaii Credit Union League commented. The committee also heard SB 318, which would require DCCA to adopt privacy rules for direct-to-consumer genetic testing and specify whether genetic information may be used for investigative genetic genealogy. The Office of Consumer Protection and Andrew Crossland opposed the bill, saying federal law and existing state protections already cover much of the area and that rulemaking would be a better way to address it; members raised concerns about federal changes and the need for state protections, but OCP said the bill was not the best approach. SB 332 would prohibit bundling foreclosed homes at public sale and delay finality of sales; L. Strong and written testimony supported it, citing Lahaina’s post-fire foreclosure risks and warning of investors profiting from the disaster. The final measure, SB 525, would require written notice and consent before mortuaries, cemeteries, or pre-need funeral authorities sell or recycle precious metals recovered after cremation. DCCA’s consumer protection and licensing divisions offered comments, while the Hawaii Funeral and Cemetery Association opposed the bill, saying it was surprised by the measure and was unaware of current consumer problems in the industry.

Transcript Highlights:

• Protection Agency, and there's been a lot of discussion, Federal Trade Commission, that actually the FTC
• Protection Agency, and there's been a lot of discussion, Federal Trade Commission, that actually the FTC
• Protection Agency, and there's been a lot of discussion, Federal Trade Commission, that actually the FTC
• ><00:09:07.279> that<00:09:07.519> actually<00:09:08.160> the<00:09:08.320> FTC
• trades commission that actually the FTC trades commission that actually the FTC that<00:09:09.800

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• brand-name and generic manufacturers is covered by the federal Hatch-Waxman Act and overseen by the FTC
• There's concern raised... ...and overseen by the FTC.
• this activity is already governed federally with the Hatch-Waxman Act and then handled through the FTC
• this activity is already governed federally with the Hatch-Waxman Act and then handled through the FTC

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee, chaired for the day by Senator John Liu, took up a long agenda of bills covering labor and benefits, corrections, health, taxation, government transparency, and public services. Early measures included increasing short-term disability benefits, adjusting a poverty-level-related earned income disregard, expanding correctional health staffing review, and authorizing the Inspector General to investigate sexual assault complaints in correctional facilities; each of these advanced to the floor. The committee also advanced bills on ovarian cancer screening access, retirement system membership changes, a trail stewardship program, live agency representative access, FOIL/open meetings fee awards, a Harriman campus development plan, court data reporting, educator conventions, park water testing, an energy storage tax abatement, a Native American Affairs office, adult changing tables in public facilities, Medicaid Inspector General audit standards, remote training certification for agency personnel, newborn Gaucher disease testing, electronic self-exclusion requests for gambling, and child daycare inspections and opioid antagonist requirements. Several bills drew discussion. The prescription drug transparency bill (Print 488A) prompted questions about possible overlap with federal Hatch-Waxman/FTC oversight and whether a New York notice requirement could slow generic-drug settlements; sponsors and staff said it was intended as a supplemental transparency measure for consumers. The court reporting bill (Print 1849A) raised concerns about mandates on local governments, but supporters said it mainly required OCA to compile data in one format. The Medicaid local-share phaseout bill (Print 5519) generated the most debate, with supporters arguing it would provide major property tax relief and should be addressed in the budget, while opponents emphasized the need to curb Medicaid fraud, waste, and abuse first. Two major fiscal oversight proposals were defeated. Print 8661, which would have required the Comptroller to hire an independent private auditing firm to review state-funded programs for fraud and abuse, was opposed despite support from some members who argued outside auditing was overdue; it failed by one vote. Print 5519 was also ultimately defeated after a recount confirmed it lacked the required majority of the full 22-member committee. Most other bills were approved and sent either to the floor or, in the case of the drug transparency bill, to the Rules Committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• DOGE's investment invasion of personal data and the dismantling of the FTC and the Consumer Financial
• have huge data breaches, violate their own privacy policies and existing data privacy laws, or faced FTC
• The FTC has issued four consent orders against data brokers over the sale of location data.
• The FTC has issued four consent orders against data brokers over the sale of location data.
• cybercriminals just months after Got hacked by Russian cybercriminals just months after facing the FTC

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, recognized several guests in the chamber, and adopted a resolution congratulating Coleman-Nee on election as National Commander of the Disabled American Veterans. It also took up several local and personnel matters, including a sick leave bank for Emily Cullick and later Paul Stavarski, and local bills affecting the town of Weston and a Dorchester housing/library procurement exemption; those measures were advanced to third reading or engrossment as appropriate. The chamber also suspended Joint Rule 12 to refer several House petitions to committees. The main business was Senate No. 2516, the Massachusetts Data Privacy Act, which came before the Senate on a Ways and Means substitute (Senate Document 2608). Senators Creem, Moore, Charles, Feingold, Keenan, and others spoke in support, describing the bill as a comprehensive consumer privacy measure with data minimization rules, limits on sensitive data, protections for minors, and strong Attorney General enforcement. Several amendments were debated, with many rejected or withdrawn, while some were adopted, including provisions on geolocation data protections, opting out of targeted advertising, affiliate and merger/acquisition protections, internal operations exemptions, parental access to child data, and a Ways and Means amendment. A number of other amendments on employee data, union data, loyalty programs, AI training, reporting, and related issues were either not adopted or held/withdrawn. After the amendment process, the Senate adopted the amended Ways and Means substitute and ordered the bill to a third reading. The bill was then passed to be engrossed on a roll call vote of 40-0. The Senate also adopted an order to adjourn to the following Monday at 11:00 a.m. and to dispense with printing a calendar. The session adjourned in memory of Darrow Logan Alexander of South Boston.

Transcript Highlights:

• The FTC estimates it went up by 25 percent. You know, the FBI losses: $16.6 billion.
• FTC says $12.5 billion. But the FTC also estimates that the— Losses: $16.6 billion.
• FTC says $12.5 billion. But the FTC also estimates losses could be as high as $196 billion.
• social media companies to develop a mitigation program for impersonation or deceptive ads, requires the FTC
• According to the FTC, that's 86% didn't actually report.

Summary: A joint House-Senate Insurance and Commerce meeting focused on the growing threat of financial fraud in Arkansas, with members hearing from bankers, regulators, law enforcement, AARP, and mortgage and insurance industry representatives. Witnesses described a wide range of scams, including spoofed bank calls and texts, fake websites and social media impersonation, romance and investment scams, business email compromise, gift card fraud, check fraud, wire fraud, reverse mortgage scams, and crypto kiosk schemes. Several speakers emphasized that fraud is increasingly organized, technology-driven, and amplified by artificial intelligence, and that seniors are disproportionately targeted and often suffer the largest losses. Testimony highlighted both prevention and recovery efforts. Bankers said institutions spend heavily on training, customer education, and fraud detection, but often cannot stop losses once customers have been convinced to authorize transfers. The Attorney General’s office described its Consumer Protection Division, a new Financial Fraud Task Force, and examples of recovering funds quickly from crypto kiosk and wire fraud cases. The State Bank Department and Securities Department said Arkansas’s 2025 crypto ATM legislation and related education requirements have helped, and they urged continued public education. The Insurance Department reported major insurance-fraud trends, including fake insurance cards, forged policies, premium-finance schemes, and staged auto accidents, and said it prosecutes these cases aggressively. Members asked about reporting scams, the security of tap payments, how fraud losses are tracked, the role of crypto kiosks, and whether Arkansas should pursue model legislation or stronger action against telecom and social media companies. Witnesses said tap payments are generally safer than chip or swipe, that crypto transfers are often unrecoverable, and that spoofed caller ID and impersonation ads remain major problems. Paul Benda of the American Bankers Association urged state and federal action against telecom and social media platforms and supported national scam legislation. No new bills were voted on at the meeting, but members approved the November 3, 2025 minutes and several witnesses offered to share model legislation, consumer education materials, and state-by-state fraud data with the committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• The FTC estimates it went up by 25 percent. You know, the FBI losses: $16.6 billion.
• FTC says $12.5 billion. But the FTC also estimates that the— Losses: $16.6 billion.
• FTC says $12.5 billion. But the FTC also estimates losses could be as high as $196 billion.
• social media companies to develop a mitigation program for impersonation or deceptive ads, requires the FTC
• According to the FTC, that's 86% didn't actually report. That's enough percentages.

Summary: A joint House-Senate Insurance and Commerce meeting focused on the growing threat of financial fraud in Arkansas, with members and witnesses describing scams targeting seniors, small businesses, and working families. The committee first approved the November 3, 2025 minutes, then heard from the Arkansas Bankers Association, the American Bankers Association, banks, the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, the Arkansas Mortgage Bankers Association, the State Bank and Securities Department, the Insurance Department, and AARP. Witnesses described common schemes including spoofed bank calls and texts, government imposter scams, romance and investment scams, business email compromise, fake job postings, gift card scams, check fraud, wire fraud, reverse mortgage scams, identity theft, and insurance fraud. Several witnesses emphasized that cryptocurrency kiosks and crypto transfers make recovery difficult or impossible, and that artificial intelligence is making scams more convincing and scalable. Witnesses repeatedly stressed education, verification, and coordination among banks, law enforcement, regulators, and consumers. Bank and mortgage representatives urged consumers to slow down, independently verify wire instructions, avoid clicking unexpected links, use tap-to-pay rather than chip or swipe when possible, and never share account credentials or one-time codes. The Attorney General’s office said it investigates consumer complaints, mediates disputes, works with social media platforms to remove scam ads, and recently created a Financial Fraud Task Force with bankers and other stakeholders. The State Bank and Securities Commissioner highlighted the Safe AR Act, the state’s crypto kiosk framework, and fraud education efforts such as “fraud bingo,” while the Insurance Department described its law-enforcement role and a range of insurance-related fraud schemes it prosecutes. AARP said fraud is widespread and underreported, especially among older adults. Members asked about reporting scams, how losses are handled, whether tap is safer than chip, how crypto fraud works, whether Arkansas has model legislation to address telecom and social media impersonation, and how local law enforcement and state agencies coordinate investigations. Witnesses said banks generally absorb much of the financial loss under federal rules, while consumers bear the inconvenience and account changes. Several witnesses said Arkansas should consider additional legislation to hold telecom companies and social media platforms accountable for spoofed caller IDs and impersonation ads, and one witness said a federal Scam Act is moving in Congress. No additional votes or formal actions were taken beyond approval of the minutes, but witnesses agreed to share consumer education materials and model legislation with committee staff.

Transcript Highlights:

• The FTC comprehensively reviewed the empirical literature on non-competes, conducted its own economic
• Based on this evidence, the FTC adopted a categorical non-compete ban, but it is not in effect due to
• By the way, the vast majority of the public commenters to the FTC, including 97% of the comments from
• the FTC adopted a categorical<00:14:12.480> non-compete<00:14:13.199> ban<00:14:13.800
• <00:14:28.600> including public commenters to the FTC including public commenters to the FTC

Bills: HF1355, HF1469, HF1768

Keywords: commercial diving, scuba diving safety, aquatic plant management, workplace safety, environmental regulations, HF1469, Minnesota, workforce development, job training, job skills training, reentry, reentry services, formerly incarcerated, ex-offenders, inmates, recently released inmates, felony conviction, felony-level offense, corrections, prison release

Transcript Highlights:

• I'll note a special guest in the audience today is Chairman Ferguson of the FTC coming to watch the proceedings
• We all know the FTC. and the Justice Department work together to enforce our nation's antitrust laws,
• several years practicing antitrust law in the private practice, and then A decade, a full decade at FTC
• BOTS Act and it prohibits ticket scalpers from using software to buy high volumes of tickets and the FTC
• We have had an FTC that chose not to enforce. Thank you. My time's expired. Thank you.

Keywords: nominations, Deputy Attorney General, Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice, Todd Blanch, Gail Slater, confirmation hearing

Summary: The meeting focused on the nominations of Todd Blanch and Gail Slater for the positions of Deputy Attorney General and Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, respectively. The committee considered the qualifications of both nominees, with opening statements provided by the nominees themselves. There was an evident emphasis on the rigorous vetting process that nominees undergo before their selection, highlighting the importance of the roles within the Department of Justice. Members of the committee engaged in a structured question-and-answer session to further evaluate the nominees' capabilities and fit for the positions they were nominated for, with each member allotted seven minutes to pose questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:13:41.440> dominance<00:13:41.920> over We studied this issue very closely at the FTC
• Ninety-seven percent of the Minnesotans who wrote to the FTC supported a full ban on non-competes.
• received including comments from the FTC received including comments from motans.<00:14:52.959> Um
• Um 97% of the motans who wrote to<00:14:55.680> the<00:14:55.760> FTC<00:14:56.399>
• supported a full ban on to the FTC supported a full ban on non-competes.<00:14:58.639> So<00:

Keywords: 1187, senate, all