The Texas Legislature created a statute to protect parties’ rights to freedom of speech and to petition the courts: the Texas Citizen’s Participation Act (TCPA). See Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. §§ 27.001-.011. The TCPA’s purpose is “to encourage and safeguard the constitutional rights of persons to petition, speak freely, associate freely, and otherwise participate in government to the maximum extent permitted by law and, at the same time, protect the rights of a person to file meritorious lawsuits for demonstrable injury.”
In September, the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) requested comment on proposed amendments to its rules relating to debt collectors, which could significantly change the requirements and procedures concerning debt collection with New York City consumers. DCWP had previously proposed amendments in November 2022, which were not finalized.
On November 7, 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) announced a new proposed rule wherein providers of digital wallets and payment apps would be defined as “Larger Participants” and would become subject to supervision by the CFPB, as well as need to comply with consumer financial services laws and regulations. Comments to this Larger Participant rulemaking are due by January 8, 2024.
Junk fees – those hidden and bogus charges that have found their way into a wide variety of transactions – are on consumers’ minds. Based on what they’ve told us, junk fees are on their last nerve, too. After receiving more than 12,000 comments about how those fees impact consumer spending and affect honest businesses, the FTC announced on October 11, 2023, a proposed Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees.
On Sept. 21, 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) officially announced it is considering a rulemaking to address several consumer reporting topics under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Under the process established by Congress in the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA), the CFPB is required to consult with representatives of small entities likely to be affected directly by the regulations.
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