Bill · S. 5281· Senate(119-S-5281)
Consumer Advocacy and Protection Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 8/6/2026
- Last activity
- 8/6/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Sponsored by
- Peter Welch
- Cosponsors
- - 4 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Consumer Advocacy and Protection Act of 2026 seeks to amend the Consumer Product Safety Act. The bill focuses on changes to the maximum civil penalties for violations of product safety standards. Specifically, it increases the penalty for an individual violation from $100,000 to $250,000. It also removes the $15,000,000 cap for a related series of violations. Additionally, the bill modifies how the Commission adjusts civil penalties for inflation.
Yes· 3 of 5
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?+7
The bill significantly strengthens consumer protection by increasing penalties for product safety violations and removing the ceiling on series of violations.
Would children be better off under this?+5
Increased safety penalties can lead to better product safety standards for children.
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+4
The bill improves transparency by requiring the Commission to publish inflation-adjusted maximum penalties in the Federal Register annually.
The opposite
Would business owners be better off under this?-6
Business owners face significantly higher financial risks and liabilities due to increased penalty caps.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Higher penalties for individual violations: Under Section 2(a)(1), the penalty for a single violation increases from $100,000 to $250,000, which could increase accountability for product safety violations.
-
Removal of series violation cap: Section 2(a)(2) and (3) strike the provision that limited the maximum civil penalty to $15,000,000 for a related series of violations, which allows for potentially higher total penalties.
-
Updated inflation adjustment process: Section 2(b)(1) and (2) establish a process where the Commission determines and publishes inflation-adjusted maximum civil penalties for individual violations in the Federal Register every year.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Increased financial liability for violations: Due to the changes in Section 2(a), entities may face higher individual penalties and no longer have the $15,000,000 cap for a related series of violations.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+7
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+4Increases Federal Power+3
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Children+5Good For Low Income Households+4Good For Business Owners-6
- 8/6/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- 4 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
2 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Richard BlumenthalDemocrat · Connecticut
Ben LujánDemocrat · New Mexico
Edward MarkeyDemocrat · Massachusetts
Brian SchatzDemocrat · Hawaii