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The Administration strongly supports H.R. 170, the Deceptive Mail
Prevention and Enforcement Act, that will be considered on the suspension
calendar. H.R. 170 would protect consumers against deceptive mailing and
sweepstakes practices and reinforce their rights by establishing standards
for disclosure and financial penalties for sponsors who fail to comply with
those standards.
H.R. 170 would establish standards for sweepstakes mailings, skill
contests, and facsimile checks. The bill would restrict "government
look-alike" documents and create a uniform notification system to allow
individuals to remove their names and addresses from all major sweepstakes
mailing lists at one time. It would also create strong financial penalties
for: not disclosing all terms, conditions, rules, and entry procedures of
a contest; the continuation of mailings after an individual has requested
cessation; and the failure to comply with a Postal Service "stop order."
In addition, H.R. 170 would increase the authority of the Postal Service to
investigate and stop deceptive mailings while permitting States to
establish a higher level of protection for consumers.
Congress has heard evidence of widespread confusion by consumers and
clearly misleading mailing and sweepstakes practices. The Administration
urges passage of H.R. 170 to protect consumers and address these concerns.
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