Consumer Protection

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Consumer Safety Bill Passes House Washington, D.C. - More independent testing for lead, stricter lead standards and greater resources for inspectors are all part of a major overhaul of consumer product safety regulations included in the final version of H.R. 4040, the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives today and is expected to pass the U.S. Senate soon and be signed by the President. 7/30/2008

Bean Introduces Robocall Reform Measure Washington, D.C. - Political campaigns will not be able to make pre-recorded calls in the late evening and will have to clearly identify themselves at the start of a call under a bill introduced late Wednesday by Congresswoman Melissa Bean (IL-08) and House colleagues. 4/10/2008

Bean-backed Consumer Safety Bill Passes Washington, D.C. - More independent testing for lead, stricter lead standards and greater resources for inspectors are all part of a major overhaul of consumer product safety regulations included in H.R. 4040, the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act, which passed today in the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 407-0. 12/19/2007

Bean Continues to Raise Awareness and Help Protect Constituents from Identity Theft June 1, 2007 SCHAUMBURG, IL - Yesterday Congresswoman Melissa Bean (IL-08), who in her first term distinguished herself as one of the House’s foremost leaders in the fight against identity theft, participated in an identity theft forum hosted by the Palatine Township for its residents.  In addition to Bean, a representative from Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias’s office also shared tips and information on identity theft.

Bean Votes to Make College More Affordable by Cutting Interest Rates on Student Loans January 17, 2007 Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Congresswoman Melissa Bean (IL—08) voted to make college more affordable and accessible by cutting the interest rate on subsidized student loans for undergraduates in half over the next five years – cutting the interest rate from 6.8% to 3.4%.  The bill cuts the interest rate in half in five steps:  from 6.8% to 6.12% in 2007; 5.44% in 2008; 4.76% in 2009; 4.08% in 2010; and 3.4% in 2011.  The House passed the H.R. 5, the College Student Relief Act, this afternoon.

Bean Co-sponsors Legislation Protecting Veterans After Database Error June 13, 2006 Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Melissa Bean (IL-08) recently joined her colleagues to introduce HR 5487, The Veterans ID Theft Protection Act, which would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide six-months of free credit monitoring for the millions of veterans whose personal information was stolen from the VA last month.

Obama, Bean Announce Bills to Strengthen Privacy Protections for Federal Taxpayers April 17, 2006 Washington, D.C. - As taxpayers across the country rushed to meet today’s tax filing deadline, Congresswoman Melissa Bean (IL-08) and Senator Barack Obama announced the introduction of legislation that would preempt IRS plans to allow increased, unsolicited access to private taxpayer information and instead ensure that protections remain at their current levels.  Senator Obama and Congresswoman Bean discussed their sponsorship of the Senate and House bills respectively at a press conference held this morning at the Metcalf Federal Building in Chicago.

Bean Helps Strengthen Legislation to Fight Identity Theft March 17, 2006 Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Melissa Bean (IL-08), who in her first term has distinguished herself as one of the House’s foremost leaders in the fight against identity theft, continued her work on behalf of consumers by negotiating for a more stringent consumer notification “trigger” in the Financial Data Protection Act of 2005 (HR 3997). 

Bean Introduces Tough Data Security Bill July 1, 2005 Washington, D.C. - Representatives Melissa Bean (IL-8), Artur Davis (AL-7) and Barney Frank (MA-4) have introduced H.R. 3140 to provide tough consumer protections and enforcement against credit card fraud and identity theft.  The “Consumer Data Security and Notification Act of 2005,” will strengthen federal protections against improper collection and sale of sensitive consumer information and provide consumers with advance warning when their personal financial information is at risk.  In addition, the bill contains strong enforcement provisions to protect consumers from identity theft. 

Bean Addresses Identity Theft Issues in House Financial Services Committee Hearing May 4, 2005 Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representative Melissa Bean (IL-8) participated in a hearing held by the House Committee on Financial Services examining the breaches of personal data that have occurred over the last several months.  Those testifying before the committee included Don McGuffey, Senior Vice President for Data Acquisition at ChoicePoint Inc and Kurt P. Sanford, President of LexisNexis.  The hearing focused on how consumers’ information was stolen and what actions have been taken to minimize unauthorized use of stolen information.  The following is from Bean’s opening statement to the committee.