Taking inspiration from Rep. Cicilline’s controversial antitrust markup from last year that pushed through an entire package of bills with minimal scrutiny, Sen. Klobuchar has pushed the Senate Judiciary Committee to skip regular order and rush S. 2992 for mark-up— a clear sign she is preparing to force through the American Innovation and Choice Online Act with little oversight and scrutiny from her fellow committee members.
If passed into law, Sen. Klobuchar’s radical proposals will have widespread impacts on the way Americans use their favorite digital services and could expose American consumer data to bad actors. As a result today, NetChoice criticized Sen. Klobuchar’s decision to hold a markup for the American Innovation and Choice Online Act without a hearing that would help illuminate issues with the bill.
“Sen. Klobuchar herself has marketed the American Innovation and Choice Online Act as highly important and critical to America’s economic future, so it’s clear such a bill requires a committee hearing to tailor and discuss the proposal,” said Carl Szabo, Vice President and General Counsel at NetChoice.
“A bill that threatens to remove choice, increase prices, and expose our personal information to foreign actors should, at a minimum, start with a hearing and transparent debate. A committee hearing would shine sunlight on what has thus far been an opaque legislative process. Given that sunlight would expose her legislation’s flaws, Senator Klobuchar is unlikely to allow one,” continued Szabo.