Reps. David Kustoff, Deborah Ross reintroduce bipartisan ‘DO NOT Call Act’
PRESS RELEASE FROM CONGRESSMAN DAVID KUSTOFF'S OFFICE:
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman David Kustoff (TN-08) and Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) introduced the bipartisan Deter Obnoxious, Nefarious, and Outrageous Telephone Calls (DO NOT Call) Act. This legislation is aimed at cracking down on unsolicited robocalls by increasing penalties for bad actors who harass and defraud consumers. Nevada Senator Cortez Masto introduced the Senate companion version of this bill.
Americans received more than 52.8 billion robocalls in 2024 and lost over $40 billion to scams and fraudulent schemes. That number continues to climb, even after years of work by Congress, regulators, and the telecommunications industry to curb illegal calls.
“Americans are receiving these disruptive robocalls every day. Scammers are using artificial intelligence to mimic voices and spoof Caller ID, making these calls even harder to detect,” said Congressman Kustoff. “This bipartisan bill gives our justice system more power to crack down on these bad actors and protect vulnerable people from fraud.”
“Robocalls are becoming more aggressive, and North Carolinians are feeling the impact every day,” said Congresswoman Ross (NC-02). “As technology advances, scammers find new ways to misuse personal information and to deceive the public – particularly targeting seniors and other vulnerable people. Congress has a responsibility to step up with stronger protections and clear consequences for those who profit from these harmful tactics. I am proud to reintroduce this bipartisan bill with Representative Kustoff and will keep working with our partners in the Senate to see it signed into law.”
“Spam calls and texts are not just a nuisance – they erode public trust and have real consequences for everyday Nevadans,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I fought them on behalf of consumers as Attorney General, and it’s past time to protect the seniors and vulnerable Americans that these scammers prey on and give our law enforcement the tools they need to bring them to justice.”
“Alabamians are fed up with incessant scam calls that harass families, target seniors, and cost consumers billions every year. The DO NOT Call Act cracks down on this issue by strengthening penalties for illegal robocalls and closing loopholes in the law. I am proud to support this commonsense legislation as an original cosponsor in the 119th Congress,” said Congressman Strong (AL-05).
“Everybody hates robocalls. While there are certain limited situations where they make sense, by and large they are a way of letting someone waste our time without wasting their time. I appreciate the efforts of Congressman Kustoff to stop this relentless annoyance and look forward to using the tools he is providing to protect Tennesseans from obnoxious interruptions,” said Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti.
Background:
The DO NOT Call Act strengthens penalties for companies and individuals who deliberately harass consumers. Under this legislation, willful or knowing violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) could result in prison sentences of up to one year, while repeated or excessive violations could lead to sentences of up to three years. It also raises the maximum fine for falsifying caller ID information from $10,000 to $20,000.
Click here to read the full text of the bill.
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