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H.R. 5499: Consumer Review Freedom Act of 2014

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H.R. 5499: Consumer Review Freedom Act of 2014

113th Congress · introduced 2014-09-16 · Commerce · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2014-09-16 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-15] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Consumer Review Freedom Act of 2014

Plain summary

Consumer Review Freedom Act of 2014 - Declares a provision of a form contract to be void from the inception if it: (1) prohibits or restricts a person who is a party to the contract from engaging in written, verbal, or pictorial reviews, or other similar performance assessments or analyses of, the products, services, or conduct of a business that is a party to the contract; (2) imposes penalties or fees against such a person for engaging in such communications; or (3) assigns or provides an exclusive license, or requires such a person to assign or provide an exclusive license, to any of the person's intellectual property rights in such communications. (Thus, bars certain contract provisions that prohibit consumers from commenting publicly about businesses.) Sets forth exceptions under which a provision shall not be considered void under this Act if the provision prohibits disclosure of certain: (1) trade secrets or commercial or financial information, (2) personnel and medical files, or (3) law enforcement records. Provides for this Act to be inapplicable to contracts establishing an employer-employee or independent contractor relationship. Prohibits businesses from offering or entering into form contracts containing a provision that is considered void under this Act. Treats violations by businesses as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act. Sets forth authority for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general to enforce such violations.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Consumer Review Freedom Act of 2014

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Arguments against (opponents)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-15] · 5 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Brad Sherman (D-CA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Mark Takano (D-CA)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong113-hr5499 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113