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H.R. 4526: Stop Online Booking Scams Act of 2016

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H.R. 4526: Stop Online Booking Scams Act of 2016

114th Congress · introduced 2016-02-10 · Commerce · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2016-02-10 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Frankel, Lois [D-FL-22] · 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

Stop Online Booking Scams Act of 2016

Plain summary

Stop Online Booking Scams Act of 2016 This bill amends the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act (ROSCA) to prohibit a third party online hotel reservation seller (an online seller that is not affiliated with the person who owns the hotel or provides the hotel services or accommodations) from charging a consumer's credit card, debit card, bank account, or other financial account for any good or service sold in an Internet transaction, unless the seller discloses all material terms of the transaction. Before the conclusion of the transaction, the seller must describe, and disclose the cost of, the offered good or service. The seller must also disclose, in a manner that is continuously visible to the consumer throughout the transaction process, the fact that it is not affiliated with the person who: (1) owns the hotel, or (2) provides the hotel services or accommodations. States may bring actions in federal courts to obtain damages, restitution, compensation, or other relief for ROSCA violations. (Currently, states may bring such actions for only injunctive relief.) The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) must publish on its website an assessment of: (1) consumers' capacity to understand which company they are transacting with during online hotel reservation shopping, (2) consumer harm from such uncertainty, and (3) whether any practice by a third party online hotel reservation seller violates ROSCA. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that the FTC should revise its website to make it easier for consumers and businesses to report complaints of deceptive practices with online booking of hotel reservations.

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

Stop Online Booking Scams Act of 2016

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Frankel, Lois [D-FL-22] · 27 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Kathy Castor (D-FL), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Mark Takano (D-CA), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL), Tom Cole (R-OK), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Andy Harris (R-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Paul A. Gosar (R-AZ), Hakeem S. Jeffries (D-NY), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-GA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Frankel, Lois [D-FL-22] reported raising $2.6 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

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.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong114-hr4526 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114