Underwood-Backed Legislation to Combat Robocalls Passes Senate, Signed by President

WASHINGTON— Today, bipartisan legislation championed by Representative Lauren Underwood (IL-14) to combat the robocall epidemic was signed into law by President Trump. The TRACED Act will require telephone carriers to verify calls and allow consumers to block robocalls in a consistent and transparent way, at no extra charge. Additionally, the agreement enables the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and law enforcement to quickly go after scammers. Earlier this month, the TRACED Act, which builds upon the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act (H.R. 3375), passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support.

"Across the country, our phones have been ringing off the hook. This year alone, Illinoisans have received more than 1.9 billion robocalls— that's nearly 116 calls per person! I've heard first-hand from Illinoisans across our community who share one clear message: it's time to end the robocall epidemic," said Rep. Underwood. "The TRACED Act will finally help put Americans back in charge of their phones by allowing consumers to easily block unwelcomed calls at no extra cost and provides law enforcement with new tools to go after scammers. I'm glad to see this bipartisan effort signed by the President today."

Last year, an estimated 47.8 billion robocalls were placed nationwide, an increase of 17 billion calls over previous years. Illinois remains one of the top ten states impacted by robocalls, receiving an average of 116 robocalls per person totaling over 1.9 billion robocalls so far in 2019. Illegal robocalls affect American life in increasingly harmful ways, from scams to defraud consumers, to disruptions to our health care system, and much more.

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