Reschenthaler Votes to Protect Americans from Illegal Robocalls
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14) voted in support of S. 151, the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, which will help put a stop to illegal and abusive robocalls. This bipartisan bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 417 to 3 and now heads to President Trump's desk for signature.
"I frequently hear from seniors and other members of our community who have had their money or identities stolen after falling prey to fraudulent robocall schemes," said Reschenthaler. "While they may have started as a nuisance, these calls are now a real threat to security and privacy. I was proud to vote for the bipartisan TRACED Act so we can better protect Americans from these criminals' schemes."
In 2018, 47.8 billion illegal robocalls occurred. One report estimated that the number of spam calls will increase from 30 percent of all phone calls last year to 42 percent this year. The TRACED Act will restore confidence for Americans who no longer answer their phones if they do not recognize the number.
Specifically, this legislation will give regulators the tools they need to find scammers and increase penalties by up to $10,000 per call. In addition, the bill requires voice service providers to adopt call authentication technologies which will allow telephone carriers to verify that incoming calls are legitimate. The bill also brings together federal agencies and state attorneys generals to identify and report on the obstacles to prosecuting robocallers. The TRACED Act is supported by a number of industry and consumer groups, including the AARP.
"I am glad this bill gives consumers, regulators, and our law enforcement the tools they need to hold these abusive and illegal robocallers accountable," said Reschenthaler.
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