Consumer Safety Technology Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding and for recognizing this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 3723, the Consumer Safety Technology Act.
H.R. 3723 will encourage the use of emerging technologies, specifically artificial intelligence and blockchains, to help keep consumers safe. It will aid our consumer protection agencies with carrying out their missions.
H.R. 3723 incorporates the AI for Consumer Product Safety Act legislation that I authored with Representative Burgess. These provisions direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission, CPSC, to establish a pilot program for the agency to use AI in furtherance of the agency's work to protect consumers from unsafe products.
For example, the CPSC could use artificial intelligence to more quickly and efficiently identify consumer product hazards, such as exploding laptops that have faulty batteries, defective USB chargers, furniture that tips over, and unsafe infant sleeping products.
Being able to identify these hazards more quickly will enable the CPSC to help also recall products more quickly and, in turn, help save lives.
We have heard firsthand from CPSC commissioners when they testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee that artificial intelligence can benefit the agency's work in serving the American people.
I am pleased that last year my legislation, the AI in Government Act, was enacted into law. Among other things, the AI in Government Act establishes an AI Center of Excellence to facilitate adoption of AI technology in the Federal Government. This will provide a central resource within the government to aid agencies with AI adoption and help agencies share best practices.
But it is also critical that agencies build up their capacity internally to adopt AI technology. H.R. 3723 will empower the CPSC to do just that. The CPSC's experience here will also serve as an example for other agencies that are looking to integrate AI in furtherance of their agency's missions.
H.R. 3723 also incorporates the Blockchain Innovation Act introduced by Representative Soto and Guthrie. These provisions will help ensure that we use the benefits of blockchain technology to help stop scams and fraud.
Additionally, H.R. 3723 incorporates the Digital Taxonomy Act from Representatives Soto and Davidson. These provisions will help ensure the scammers and fraudsters don't get ahead of consumers and law enforcement in the realm of blockchain and digital tokens.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Burgess, Soto, Guthrie, and Davidson for their work in H.R. 3723, and Chairman Pallone and Ranking Member Rodgers for helping to move this important bill. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support it.
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