H.R. 538 · 118th Congress

Informing Consumers about Smart Devices Act

Introduced on Jan 26, 2023 by John R. Curtis (R-UT-3). One cosponsor. Latest action (Feb 28, 2023): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Stage
Passed one chamber
Introduced
Jan 26, 2023
Cosponsors
1
1 from the other party
Policy area
Commerce
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Progress

The furthest stage the measure reached. Simple and concurrent resolutions do not go to the President.

  1. Introduced
  2. Reported by committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. 4Passed both chambers
  5. 5Sent to the President
  6. 6Became law

Official title

To require the disclosure of a camera or recording capability in certain internet-connected devices.

Subjects

  • Administrative law and regulatory procedures
  • Computers and information technology
  • Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
  • Internet, web applications, social media
  • Photography and imaging
  • Right of privacy
  • Sound recording

Summary

The Congressional Research Service has not summarized this measure yet.

Sponsor and cosponsors

Cosponsors by party as of the day they signed on. Original cosponsors signed on the day of introduction.

John R. CurtisR-UT-3Sponsor

Democrats · 1

Roll calls

Recorded votes on the measure. Most measures move by voice vote or unanimous consent, which record no individual positions.

  1. On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass
    Feb 27, 2023· House· Passage· Passed 406–12

History

Every action as published, oldest first. Roll calls link to how each member voted.

  1. Jan 26, 2023Introduced in House
  2. Jan 26, 2023Introduced in House
  3. Jan 26, 2023 · HouseReferred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
  4. Feb 3, 2023 · HouseReferred to the Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce.
  5. Feb 27, 2023 · HouseMr. Bilirakis moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  6. Feb 27, 2023 · HouseConsidered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H891-892)
  7. Feb 27, 2023 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 538.
  8. Feb 27, 2023 · HouseAt the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  9. Feb 27, 2023 · HouseConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H897)
  10. Feb 27, 2023Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 406 - 12 (Roll no. 121). (text: CR H891)House · Roll call 121
  11. Feb 27, 2023 · HouseOn motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 406 - 12 (Roll no. 121). (text: CR H891)House · Roll call 121
  12. Feb 27, 2023 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  13. Feb 28, 2023 · SenateReceived in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Committees

Committees and subcommittees the measure was referred to.

Agencies in its committees' jurisdiction

Analisa's mapping of committee jurisdiction to federal agencies; the bill may touch others, or none of these.

Who lobbied on it

Organizations whose lobbying reports (LD-2) name this measure. Spending is what they reported for those quarters on all issues, not on this measure alone.

  1. Google Client Services LLC15 reports
    $15.1M reported (all issues)
  2. CONSUMER TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION5 reports
    $5.9M reported (all issues)
  3. ZENITH ELECTRONICS CORP1 report
    $30K reported (all issues)

Reports filed in 2023, 2024.

Sources and method

Every figure on this page traces to these records.

  • Bill status: bills and resolutions, sponsors, actions, subjects and CRS summaries (U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), from Congress.gov (Library of Congress))GovInfo Bill Status bulk data (Congress.gov; summaries by the Congressional Research Service) · data current to Oct 6, 2026 · loaded Oct 6, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Members of Congress, their terms, committees and identifiers (The @unitedstates project (from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House and the Senate))unitedstates/congress-legislators: legislators, committees and current committee membership · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
  • House roll-call votes (Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, roll-call vote records · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Senate roll-call votes and DW-NOMINATE scores (Voteview (UCLA Department of Political Science))Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2026). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. https://voteview.com/ · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Free to use with the required citation
  • Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives)Clerk of the House, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (organizations only; lobbyists' names are not loaded) · data current to Oct 6, 2026 · loaded Oct 6, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Positions are shown only where a roll call recorded them; voice votes and unanimous consent record none.
  • Money and votes are shown side by side; neither explains the other.