Loebsack, Mullin Bill Grants Flexibility to Manufacturers and Consumers
WASHINGTON - Congressman Dave Loebsack (IA-02) and Congressman Markwayne Mullin (OK-02) introduced a bill Wednesday to give manufacturers and consumers more flexibility when it comes to providing and accessing product warranty information. The bipartisan E-Warranty Act of 2015 (H.R. 3154) gives manufacturers the option of fulfilling their warranty notice requirements by posting the information on their website.
Following introduction, the bill passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade unanimously.
"This bipartisan legislation is a commonsense update to our nation's decades old warranty requirements. The bill would allow manufacturers to post warranty information online and give consumers easy access to written warranties," said Loebsack. "I am pleased the E-Warranty Act has been approved by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade and look forward to it moving through the House."
"Warranty requirements ensure consumers get important information when they purchase a product, but our federal warranty regulations were developed nearly forty years ago," said Mullin, a second-term lawmaker who serves on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade. "The world has changed since then, and our ability to compete on a global stage depends on our laws keeping pace with innovation."
If manufacturers choose to meet their warranty notification requirements by posting the information on their website, it must be in an accessible, conspicuous digital format. Manufacturers must also provide consumers with information on how to access the online warranty and obtain a paper copy, either by including instructions on the product packaging or in the product manual.
The bill makes no changes to the rules regarding the content of warranty information.
H.R. 3154 is the U.S. House of Representatives companion bill to U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Bill Nelson's (D-Fla.) S. 1359, which passed the U.S. Senate unanimously on July 9, 2015. The bill will now move to the full House Energy and Commerce Committee for consideration.
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