The INFORM Consumers Act and the STURDY Act were included in the over 4,000-page omnibus appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) which was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden last week. Both of these acts were included to provide consumer protections.
INFORM CONSUMERS ACT
Titled the Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces (INFORM) Consumers Act, the INFORM Consumers Act requires online platforms to verify high-volume third-party sellers and to make these sellers’ contact information publicly available. Additionally, online platforms are required to provide a hotline for consumers to report suspected counterfeit products.
“By providing appropriate verification and transparency of high-volume third-party sellers, the INFORM Consumers Act will shine a light that will deter online sales of stolen, counterfeit, and unsafe goods and protect consumers.”
Dick Durbin
U.S. Senate Majority Whip (D-IL)
High-volume sellers are those who have made 200 or more sales totaling $5,000 USD or more in the prior twelve-month period. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) stated, “The INFORM Act is crucial to protecting Americans from scammers on the internet.” The act was co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Bill Cassidy.
STURDY ACT
The Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth (STURDY) Act requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to revise the safety standards for freestanding clothing storage units such as dressers, bureaus, or chests of drawers. The revised standards must include specified testing related to tip-overs and new warning requirements for all related products entering the U.S. market.
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