Consumer Protection – PLATFORM AMENDMENT PROPOSAL
Submitted by National Black Caucus
Contact:
Co-chairs
Darryl! Moch, nubianphoenix1@gmail.com
Philena Farley pifbits@ohiogreens.org
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:
Amendment is proposed to the plank – II. Social Justice A. Civil Rights and Equal Rights (11. Consumer Protection)
This Green Party platform amendment strengthens consumer protection by expanding focus to environmental sustainability, elevating informed consent and whistleblower protection, broadening product categories and consumer rights and streamlining and focusing language to condense complex issues while retaining core principles and clarity.
PROPOSAL:
Changes emphasized with (*)
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11. Consumer Protection
Current version:
The Green Party supports strong consumer protections against fraud, dangerous products, usury, corporate greed and rip-offs
New version (Strengthen consumer protection connection with environmental sustainability):
The Green Party supports strong consumer protections against fraud, dangerous products, *inadequately tested and potentially harmful pharmaceuticals, environmentally harmful planned obsolescence, excessive interest rates and fees by financial institutions and excessive corporate profits.*
Current version:
We believe that prevention and justice are at the heart of consumer protection. Millions of lives will be saved or lost depending on the strength of our consumer protection laws. We aim to stop corporations and others from defrauding consumers or endangering them with defective products or negligence. We stand with consumers, who have been injured or defrauded by corporations and others, and support their efforts to redress the wrongs done to them. We stand with whistleblowers, who are often the public’s best protection against corporate crime, fraud and waste
New version (Strengthen Informed Consent and Whistleblower Protection):
We believe that prevention and justice are at the heart of consumer protection. Millions of lives will be saved or lost depending on the strength of our consumer protection laws. We aim to stop corporations and others from defrauding consumers or endangering them with defective products or negligence. *We believe in informed consent and individual autonomy regarding medical decisions. We advocate for strong safeguards to ensure patients have access to accurate and comprehensive information about treatment options, potential risks and benefits, and the right to refuse any treatment without penalty or discrimination.* We stand with consumers, who have been *harmed* by corporations, *health care industries, or any other entity*, and support their efforts to redress the wrongs done to them. We *defend* whistleblowers who *expose corporate misconduct, healthcare negligence, financial fraud, and wasteful practices.*
Current version:
We recommend the following actions:
Strengthen product safety standards and enforcement for a variety of products, including food, motor vehicles, pharmaceuticals and airplanes.
New version (Removed *airplanes and pharmaceuticals* to broaden categories):
We recommend the following actions:
Strengthen product safety standards and enforcement for a variety of products, including food, motor vehicles, *transportation systems, electronics, consumer goods, medical products, and addictive substances*
Current version:
Restore state health, safety, and consumer protection laws by striking federal preemptions that weaken state law.
New version (emphasize specific areas of concern):
b. Restore state health, safety, and consumer protection laws by striking federal preemptions that *undermine state regulations on environmental standards, food safety, labor practices, and product liability.*
Current version:
Preserve and expand product-labeling requirements to ensure that consumers are fully informed about the origin, ingredients, and ecological life cycle of all products, including animal testing, and the product’s organic, recycled, and genetically engineered content. Include information about the nutritional value and the vegetarian or vegan status of food products. Require stringent “Eco-Labeling” requirements which show the “environmental impacts associated with the production or use of a product.” This may include land use, water use, waste byproducts, emissions, and more.
New version (expanding information and broaden product categories):
c. Preserve and expand product-labeling requirements to ensure that consumers are fully informed about the origin, ingredients, and ecological life cycle of all products, *disclosing any animal or human testing involved in the product’s development or production*, and the product’s organic, recycled, and genetically engineered content. *Require clear and accessible labeling on the nutritional content, including vegetarian and vegan information, for food, beverages, toiletries, and clothing products. Medical and dental products should follow relevant regulatory labeling requirements.* Require stringent “Eco-Labeling” requirements which show the “environmental impacts associated with the production or use of a product.” This may include land use, water use, waste byproducts, emissions, and more.
Current version (no change):
Prohibit corporations from concealing information about public health, labor conditions or environmental safety via protective orders or confidential settlements.
Current version:
Expand class action rights against manufacturers of unsafe products and practices, and strengthen the civil justice system and supply the resources necessary to bring to justice to those corporations that injure innocent consumers.
New version (Focus on harm to consumers with empowerment and conciseness):
e. *Empower consumers through expanded* class action rights against manufacturers of unsafe products and practices. *We call for a strengthened civil justice system with adequate resources to prevent consumer harm, deter corporate wrongdoing, and ensure timely and effective justice for those already impacted*
Current version:
Protect whistle blowers against demotion, job loss, and other forms of retaliation.
New version (expanding protection to employees):
f. Protect whistleblowers *and employees who refuse to participate in illegal conduct or conduct that otherwise is harmful to the public interest, from any* form of retaliation.
Current version:
Oppose “tort reform” that undermines consumers’ ability to seek redress, and “medical malpractice reform” that relieves negligent doctors of responsibility for injuring or killing their patients.
New version (reframing the language):
g. *While acknowledging the need for improvements in legal processes, we oppose tort reforms that limit consumers’ ability to seek fair redress for legitimate grievances. We similarly call for healthcare reforms that prioritize patient safety and hold medical professionals accountable for negligence, while promoting open communication and a culture of continuous improvement.*
Current version:
Grant consumers the right to limit collection and secondary use of personal information by any commercial entity.
New version (Broader scope with conciseness):
h. Grant consumers the right to limit collection and secondary use of personal information by any commercial entity *particularly through invasive data collection practices, AI-powered surveillance, and other privacy-violating technologies.*
Current version:
Prohibit lenders and credit card companies from charging more than 12% annual interest, indexed for inflation, along with broad protections against unwarranted fees and other abusive terms.
New version (Broader scope with conciseness, specific interest rate limits are arbitrary):
i. *Advocate for comprehensive usury laws that protect consumers from all forms of predatory lending, including excessive interest rates, hidden, excessive or* unwarranted fees and other abusive terms
Current version:
Prohibit the widespread practice of price gouging against women and the poor.
New version (Broader scope with conciseness):
j. Prohibit the widespread practice of price gouging *that disproportionately harm vulnerable consumers and exacerbate economic inequality.*
Current version:
Repeal the misnamed Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 in order to restore Chapter 7 bankruptcy as a viable final safety net for consumers caught by health crises, unaffordable mortgages, credit card debts and student loans.
New version (Focus on empowerment and economic justice):
k. *Reform* the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 *to restore fair access to* Chapter 7 bankruptcy as a viable final safety net for *those burdened by medical bills, predatory loans, and student debt. Economic justice requires accessible paths to financial recovery.*
Current version:
Ban the use of mandatory arbitration clauses in consumer contracts, which companies use to shunt consumers into anti-consumer and unfair dispute resolution processes.
New version (strengthen message and expand the scope):
l. Ban the use of mandatory arbitration clauses in consumer contracts, *employment and healthcare agreements, stripping individuals of their rights and access to fair* dispute resolution processes, *ensuring equal access to justice.*
Current version:
Establish new independent government consumer advocacy agencies to protect the interests of consumers, and restore the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs.
New version (remove redundancy about establishing new agencies since the OCA’s functions were already dispersed among existing agencies):
m. *Revive and empower the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs by granting the necessary authority and resources to coordinate consumer protection efforts across existing agencies, fill gaps in current systems, and address emerging issues*
Current version:
Support policies to encourage citizens, taxpayers, ratepayers and consumers to form Citizens Utility Boards to advocate for the public interest.
New version (strengthen message and broaden appeal):
n. *Empower communities to take control of their utilities by forming strong, well-supported Citizens Utility Boards. We support policies that make formation easier, amplify voices, and enable lower costs, cleaner energy, and a more accountable and sustainable utility landscape.*
REFERENCES:
Current language:
https://www.gp.org/social_justice#consumer
Final Amended Version Google Document:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f1OB7fwAnhHauUbcx_yyBW1TqMr9r4n4wVr6BsJlu_8/edit?usp=sharing
Markup Document:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xyxy6X2rGqdyvs6IV1c8nTamLciq572jRn9uoYvoxA0/edit?usp=sharing
In the newly labeled paragraph j, please adjust the forms of the verbs from “harm” and “exacerbate” to “harms” and “exacerbates”.