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Implementation & Enforcement Top 2
FTC and state AG enforcement of airbag disclosure rules
Empowers the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce airbag disclosure rules as unfair or deceptive practices, and lets state attorneys general sue on behalf of residents to stop violations and recover damages. Requires sellers of used cars made in 1997 or later to either ensure a working airbag or give the buyer a clear written and physical disclosure that the airbag is missing or disabled. Applies to all resale channels.
- Population Scope Medium Reaches all sellers of used vehicles manufactured on or after September 1, 1997, across all resale channels nationwide — a broad commercial class affecting a meaningful share of economic participants, though not a majority of the general population.
- Budgetary Magnitude Low No funds are authorized, appropriated, or obligated; the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general absorb enforcement costs within existing resources.
- Legal / Regulatory Depth High Simultaneously creates a new statutory disclosure mandate binding all resale channels, grants FTC new subject-matter enforcement jurisdiction, creates a new state AG parens patriae cause of action, and adds a new civil penalty — multiple substantive additions to existing law.
- Degree of Discretion Granted Medium State attorneys general "may" bring civil actions and courts "may" impose the additional penalty, while FTC operates under its existing discretionary enforcement framework, yielding moderate discretion at both levels.
- Implementation & Enforcement Burden High Creates parallel civil enforcement tracks — FTC administrative and state AG litigation — plus a contingent $25,000 penalty regime, imposing ongoing compliance obligations on sellers and recurring adjudicatory load across federal and state forums.
- Temporal Commitment High Persists indefinitely as a permanent statutory requirement and enforcement framework until Congress affirmatively acts to repeal or amend it.
No signal yet
Implementation & Enforcement Top 2
Federal criminal offense for selling unsafe vehicles without disclosure
Creates a new federal crime for knowingly selling a used car made in 1997 or later without disclosing a missing or broken airbag. Penalties range up to 10 years in prison for general violations, 20 years for serious injury, and life imprisonment if the buyer dies.
- Population Scope Low Directly targets only sellers who knowingly sell covered vehicles without airbag disclosure — a narrow subset of used-car dealers and private sellers, well under 10% of the U.S. population.
- Budgetary Magnitude Low No funds are authorized, appropriated, or obligated; enforcement costs fall on existing federal prosecutorial resources without new appropriations.
- Legal / Regulatory Depth High Creates an entirely new federal criminal prohibition encoded in Title 18, establishing a previously nonexistent statutory crime with graduated imprisonment up to life — a substantive change to federal criminal law.
- Degree of Discretion Granted Low The criminal offense elements are defined by mandatory statutory criteria, leaving prosecutors only standard charging discretion rather than any delegated rulemaking or broad interpretive authority.
- Implementation & Enforcement Burden High Requires federal criminal prosecution infrastructure — investigation, indictment, trial, and sentencing — for each violation, with penalties scaling to life imprisonment, imposing substantial recurring adjudicatory load.
- Temporal Commitment High Persists indefinitely as a permanent addition to the U.S. Code until Congress affirmatively acts to repeal or amend it.
No signal yet
No possible riders have been surfaced for this bill.
Summary
This bill requires anyone selling a used car made in 1997 or later to either ensure the airbag works or clearly tell the buyer in writing that it does not. The disclosure must appear in bold print on sales documents and on a sign on the windshield. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can treat violations as unfair or deceptive business practices. State attorneys general can also sue on behalf of residents. Sellers who break these rules face civil fines and, if someone dies or is paralyzed, an extra penalty of up to $25,000. The bill also creates a new federal crime for knowingly selling such a car without disclosing the missing or broken airbag, with prison sentences ranging up to life if the buyer dies.
AI-generated summary, pending human review.
| Version | Event | Date | User support | Your vote | Roll calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original |
Initial publication
Oct 6, 2026
|
Oct 6, 2026 | No votes yet | — | — |
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Implementation & Enforcement Top 2
FTC and state AG enforcement of airbag disclosure rules
Empowers the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce airbag disclosure rules as unfair or deceptive practices, and lets state attorneys general sue on behalf of residents to stop violations and recover damages. Requires sellers of used cars made in 1997 or later to either ensure a working airbag or give the buyer a clear written and physical disclosure that the airbag is missing or disabled. Applies to all resale channels.
- Population Scope Medium Reaches all sellers of used vehicles manufactured on or after September 1, 1997, across all resale channels nationwide — a broad commercial class affecting a meaningful share of economic participants, though not a majority of the general population.
- Budgetary Magnitude Low No funds are authorized, appropriated, or obligated; the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general absorb enforcement costs within existing resources.
- Legal / Regulatory Depth High Simultaneously creates a new statutory disclosure mandate binding all resale channels, grants FTC new subject-matter enforcement jurisdiction, creates a new state AG parens patriae cause of action, and adds a new civil penalty — multiple substantive additions to existing law.
- Degree of Discretion Granted Medium State attorneys general "may" bring civil actions and courts "may" impose the additional penalty, while FTC operates under its existing discretionary enforcement framework, yielding moderate discretion at both levels.
- Implementation & Enforcement Burden High Creates parallel civil enforcement tracks — FTC administrative and state AG litigation — plus a contingent $25,000 penalty regime, imposing ongoing compliance obligations on sellers and recurring adjudicatory load across federal and state forums.
- Temporal Commitment High Persists indefinitely as a permanent statutory requirement and enforcement framework until Congress affirmatively acts to repeal or amend it.
No signal yet
Implementation & Enforcement
FTC and state AG enforcement of airbag disclosure rules
Implementation & Enforcement Top 2
Federal criminal offense for selling unsafe vehicles without disclosure
Creates a new federal crime for knowingly selling a used car made in 1997 or later without disclosing a missing or broken airbag. Penalties range up to 10 years in prison for general violations, 20 years for serious injury, and life imprisonment if the buyer dies.
- Population Scope Low Directly targets only sellers who knowingly sell covered vehicles without airbag disclosure — a narrow subset of used-car dealers and private sellers, well under 10% of the U.S. population.
- Budgetary Magnitude Low No funds are authorized, appropriated, or obligated; enforcement costs fall on existing federal prosecutorial resources without new appropriations.
- Legal / Regulatory Depth High Creates an entirely new federal criminal prohibition encoded in Title 18, establishing a previously nonexistent statutory crime with graduated imprisonment up to life — a substantive change to federal criminal law.
- Degree of Discretion Granted Low The criminal offense elements are defined by mandatory statutory criteria, leaving prosecutors only standard charging discretion rather than any delegated rulemaking or broad interpretive authority.
- Implementation & Enforcement Burden High Requires federal criminal prosecution infrastructure — investigation, indictment, trial, and sentencing — for each violation, with penalties scaling to life imprisonment, imposing substantial recurring adjudicatory load.
- Temporal Commitment High Persists indefinitely as a permanent addition to the U.S. Code until Congress affirmatively acts to repeal or amend it.
No signal yet
Implementation & Enforcement
Federal criminal offense for selling unsafe vehicles without disclosure
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