{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://lance.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/speaker-ryan-signs-lance-bill", "Speaker Ryan Signs Lance Bill", "2016-12-02", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Leonard Lance", "L000567", "lance.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. --- Congressman Leonard Lance (NJ-07), Vice Chair of the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee, today joined U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan as he signed off on Lance\u2019s \u00a0Consumer Review Fairness Act.\u00a0 Lance\u2019s consumer protection legislation passed both the House and U.S. Senate and now heads to President Obama.\u00a0 The legislation will allow Americans to exercise their First Amendment rights regarding consumer experiences without fear of retribution.\n\u201cThis law is about protecting consumers posting honest feedback online.\u00a0 Online reviews and ratings are critical in the 21st Century and \u00a0consumers should be able to post, comment and tweet their honest and accurate feedback without fear of retribution.\u00a0 Too many companies are burying non-disparagement clauses in fine print and going after consumers when they post negative feedback online.\u00a0 This will now end,\u201d said Lance.\u00a0 \u00a0\nIn the 21st century economy it is easier than ever for consumers to make informed choices on which business or service to use by consulting websites and apps that publish crowdsourced reviews of local businesses and restaurants.\u00a0 Consumer reviews are a powerful informational tool because consumers place a high value on the truthful reviews of other consumers.\u00a0 Some businesses have become frustrated by online criticism and some have employed a questionable legal remedy known as a non-disparagement clause to retaliate against consumers.\u00a0 These are often buried in fine print.\u00a0 The Consumer Review Fairness Act would void any non-disparagement clauses in consumer contracts.\u00a0 It also would ensure companies are still able to remove false and defamatory reviews.\nLance also wants to maintain the integrity of the online crowdsourcing economy and prevent consumers from assuming online posts aren\u2019t genuine.\u00a0 \u201cA few months ago I visited Bovella\u2019s Pastry Shoppe in Westfield, N.J.\u00a0 Bovella\u2019s has the highest Yelp review of any bakery in that part of New Jersey.\u00a0 The good people at Bovella\u2019s earned that review from their hard work and excellent customer service.\u00a0 They get a lot of business from people who turn to Yelp for insight on bakeries in town.\u00a0 This crowdsourcing system thrives because of its integrity. People trust it.\u00a0 Bad actors who bully consumers are ruining the system that helps Bovella\u2019s prosper.\u201d\nLance has championed a number of consumer protection measures in Congress.\u00a0 Earlier this month, his Anti-Spoofing Act was passed in the House.\u00a0 That bill prevents telemarketers\u00a0from disguising their caller ID in an effort to evade law enforcement or trick consumers.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://lance.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/speaker-ryan-signs-lance-bill"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0411241091787815, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}