Pallone Opening Remarks at Subcommittee Markup of 12 Bills

Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) delivered the following opening remarks at a Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee markup of twelve pieces of legislation:

Today, we are considering legislation on everything from event ticketing to semiconductors.  

I am glad to see several bipartisan bills being included at today’s markup, including bills that protect consumers from dangerous products, predatory scams, and unscrupulous ticketing practices, as well as bills strengthening America’s global competitiveness.  

Representative Mullin’s Nitrous Oxide Safety Act will end preventable deaths due to dangerous nitrous oxide products, which are currently widely available at gas stations. The Strategic Task Force on Scam Prevention Act, sponsored by Representatives Menendez and Houchin, will bring a whole of government approach to combatting scams, which continue to plague consumers, particularly older Americans. And the MAIN Event Ticketing Act from Representatives Carter of Louisiana and Harshbarger brings a much-needed update to our existing law addressing ticketing bots, strengthening it to put more tickets in the hands of real fans. These bipartisan bills will help protect consumers.  

Meanwhile, the Memory Chip Competitiveness Assessment Act from Representatives Soto and Miller-Meeks will shed light on how to address the current memory chip shortage, which is raising prices for consumer devices. And the Automotive and Economic Security Act from Representatives Dingell and Harshbarger will clarify the extent to which U.S. vehicle manufacturers are reliant on China. Additionally, the Chip EQUIP Act will ensure that CHIPS and Science Act dollars are not used to bolster our adversaries’ capacity. I support these three bills that will help strengthen our nation’s global competitiveness.  

I have concerns with two other partisan bills before us on American competitiveness in AI and quantum. America must lead in these areas, but I cannot support these bills in their current form given vague language included in the legislation and open-ended authority they give to Commerce Secretary Lutnick. I hope to continue engaging stakeholders on these bills and working across the aisle with my colleagues to reach a compromise as I know we all want to see America lead in AI and quantum.

I also cannot support and am hard pressed to see a path forward on other bills being considered at this markup. The PACK Act and the Recycled Materials Attribution Act would increase consumer mistrust in recycling by greenlighting deceptive recycling labels and permitting inflated recycled content claims. And if we are going to be setting recycling policy, the Environmental Protection Agency should be taking the lead, not the Federal Trade Commission. Meanwhile, the PROTECT USA Act forces American companies to choose between complying with European sustainability regulations or violating the Act, an impossible choice. We should be focusing on working together with our allies to compete with China, not fighting one another.  

Finally, I was dismayed to see the RESET Act included on our agenda today. Not because we shouldn’t always be thinking of how we can improve protections for kids – we should – but the amended RESET Act text offered today directly contradicts the bipartisan KIDS Act, a comprehensive online safety package that already passed through this Committee and the House. I am concerned this bill will move us backward, not forward on real solutions that can become law. 

And with that I yield back the balance of my time. 

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