Austin News

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee has seen several bipartisan bills introduced by Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) included in the Further Continuing Appropriations and Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2025. Among these are the TAKE IT DOWN Act, the TICKET Act, and the Informing Consumers About Smart Devices Act. These pieces of legislation are anticipated to pass through Congress and be signed into law this week.

Additional priorities from other committee members have also been incorporated into the act. These include:

- The Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2024, introduced by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).

- The American Music Tourism Act of 2024, introduced by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.).

- The ROUTERS Act, introduced in the Senate by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.).

- The Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act of 2024, introduced by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).

- The Hotel Fees Transparency Act of 2024, introduced by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas).

- The Youth Poisoning Prevention Act, introduced by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).

- The Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act of 2023, introduced by Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and Sen. Marsha Blackburn.

- The Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act, introduced in the Senate by Sen. Marco Rubio.

The TAKE IT DOWN Act aims to criminalize non-consensual intimate imagery publication online, including AI-generated content known as "deepfake revenge pornography." It mandates social media platforms to remove such content within 48 hours upon notification from victims.

Senator Cruz stated: “Over the past several months, courageous victims of AI-deepfake ‘revenge porn’ have shared their stories to raise awareness... It will also hold Big Tech accountable by making sure websites remove these disgusting fake videos and pictures immediately.”

The Informing Consumers About Smart Devices Act seeks to require disclosure guidelines for products with recording capabilities that may not be obvious to consumers.

“As the number of smart devices found in homes steadily climbs," said Senator Cruz, "consumers deserve greater transparency about how these devices work... Americans should know if the fridge is recording their families’ words..."

Lastly, the TICKET Act focuses on ticket price transparency for events, requiring sellers to display total prices upfront.

“With the TICKET Act," noted Senator Cruz, "the days of... being unable to accurately comparison-shop for a ticket... are over."