Two More Bilirakis Bills Advance to the House Floor

Washington, DC: Earlier today, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce passed two important bills led by Congressman Gus Bilirakis. H.R. 4551, the "Reporting Attacks from Nations Selected for Oversight and Monitoring Web Attacks and Ransomware from Enemies Act" or the "RANSOMWARE Act" willstrengthen the federal government's efforts to respond to recent ransomware and other cyber-attacks from foreign adversaries, such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. "We have seen an increase in cyber-crimes against Americans and we must ensure the proper infrastructure is in place to prevent and respond to these attacks," said Bilirakis. Specifically, Bilirakis's legislation will amend and update the U.S. SAFE WEB Act of 2006, which first enabled cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies on international consumer protection issues, to require the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to report on cross-border complaints involving ransomware.

The second measure passed by the Committee today is co-authored by Representatives Bilirakis, McMorris-Rodgers, Pallone and Schakowsky. H.R. 8152, the "American Data Privacy and Protection Act" creates a uniform, national privacy standard for all Americans, providing more individual control over their data. "I am glad to see this historic and long-overdue legislation finally advancing. As we work to safeguard all Americans' sensitive data, I am particularly pleased with a major component of this bill that will provide enhanced online, privacy protections for children," said Congressman Bilirakis. The bill strengthens protections for kids by banning targeted advertising for children under 17, and provides transparency and accountability for Big Tech companies by prohibiting them from tracking users' sensitive information without their consent. It also creates a new Youth Privacy Division at FTC to provide ongoing recommendations on how Congress can strengthen online safety for children. "Additionally, given that American TikTok users' sensitive data has been repeatedly accessed by the Chinese without any notification or consent, provisions of our bill will increase transparency and user disclosure requirements regarding any contact with adversarial governments. I am hopeful my colleagues will help move important bipartisan bills forward through the House Floor and work with me to get them across the finish line," Bilirakis added. The bill specifically mandates transparency in privacy policy statements to include full disclosure of whether any American data is being transferred or processed in China and other foreign adversaries.