Legislative Action: Rep. Torres Fights for Video Game Ownership

On October 15, 2026, Representative Ritchie Torres (NY-15) announced the introduction of the Power To The Players Act. This proposed legislation seeks to mandate that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) implement rules that safeguard the rights of consumers to actually own and access the digital software they purchase.

The Crisis of "Digital Licenses"

In recent years, the gaming industry has pivoted toward digital-only distribution and hardware, effectively eliminating phasing out physical media. This shift has changed the nature of a "purchase." Instead of owning a product, gamers are often sold revocable licenses.

The impact of this model is stark:

• Players are entirely dependent on the publisher's infrastructure.
• Companies can unilaterally decide when a game is no longer available.

Case Study: The Cost of Ephemeral Software

Consider a recent example of a title with the following pricing and lifecycle:

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The Solution: Power To The Players Act

The goal of this bill is to bridge the gap between paying for a game and owning it.

"Consumers must have the right to own, the right to play, and the right to transfer the games they buy. A game that can be taken away the moment a company pulls the plug is not a purchase. Families in the Bronx and across the country save up to buy these games, and they deserve better than a license that can vanish at any time." — Rep. Ritchie Torres

Key Legislative Requirements:

• Ownership Transition: Shift the legal status of a purchase from a "license to play" $\rightarrow$ "ownership of the game."
• Preservation: Ensure the ability to resell and transfer games.
• Offline Access: Mandate that games with online features must provide an offline_mode before servers are terminated.

To implement this, the bill might require a technical standard similar to this logic:

def check_game_status(game):
    if game.servers_offline == True:
        if game.has_offline_mode == False:
            raise LegalViolation("FTC Regulation: Offline mode required")
        else:
            return "Access Granted"

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Additional Legislative Updates from Rep. Torres

Beyond gaming rights, Rep. Torres has been active on several other critical fronts:

1. Food Security (SNAP)

Rep. Torres and Rep. Grace Meng (NY-6) led a coalition—including Reps. Morelle, Nadler, Ocasio-Cortez, Riley, Ryan, and Velázquez—in a letter to Senate leadership (Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer) and the Agriculture Committee. They are urging a two-year SNAP cost-share delay to avoid deeper budget cuts.

2. Public Health & Youth

In collaboration with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Torres and a group of NY representatives (including Velázquez, Meng, Nadler, Espaillat, and Paul D.) contacted HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Their goal is to:

• Restore terminated Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program grants in New York.
• Release the funding for the 2026 fiscal year.

3. Affordable Housing Finance

Rep. Torres has reached out to banking regulators—specifically Michelle W. Bowman (Fed), Travis Hill (FDIC), and Jonathan V. Gould (OCC). He is requesting a significant reduction in the risk weight for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) investments.

Proposed Risk Weight Adjustment: $\text{Risk Weight: } 100\% \longrightarrow 20\%$