Congress finally is keeping up with the Kardashians

CHAIRMAN FRANK PALLONE (D-N.J.), APPEARING WITH KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN. (SCREENSHOT VIA YOUTUBE)

The House Energy & Commerce Committee is holding a hearing tomorrow on two bills that would revamp how the FDA regulates cosmetics like hairsprays and makeup: 

• A discussion draft from Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) would require cosmetic makers to notify the FDA of adverse events and would give the FDA the power to pull cosmetic products off the market. It would also eventually task the FDA with setting manufacturing standards for these products. 
• A bill from Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) would require manufacturers to list all of their ingredients on the label and would also give the FDA the authority to pull products off the market. Schakowsky’s bill would go a step further by outright banning a number of cosmetic ingredients. 

The FDA currently has spotty regulatory authority over cosmetics: The agency can’t review the products before they hit the market, they can’t force a recall of dangerous products, and manufacturers don’t even have to notify the agency they exist. The issue has long been a priority for Pallone, who has been pushing cosmetic legislation since 2012. He’s also urged the FDA to investigate certain stores selling unsafe cosmetics and repeatedly pressed the FDA on its efforts to regulate cosmetics. As the above photo shows, he also appeared alongside Kourtney Kardashian to push the issue on everyone’s favorite reality show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians. (Which I totally may have purchased on Youtube just to get this screenshot.)