Fred Heineman: “today I am pleased that the House is poised to pass my bill, H.R. 1499, the Telemarketing Fraud Punishment and…”

“today I am pleased that the House is poised to pass my bill, H.R. 1499, the Telemarketing Fraud Punishment and Prevention Act of 1996. H.R. 1499 protects senior citizens from a sophisticated type of white collar criminal--telemarketing scam artists who target vulnerable elderly citizens. These crimes are among the most outrageous in society because telemarketing scam artists prey on the most vulnerable--seniors who can least afford to lose their limited savings. In fact, Members have already spoken against telemarketing fraud once before, and many of my colleagues thought that the job of getting tough on these kinds of crimes was already completed. However, the job is only half done. The 1994 crime bill included important language cracking down on telemarketing fraud. Today we will pass legislation which completes what was begun in the 1994 crime bill, legislation that takes the tough sentences included in the 1994 crime bill and makes certain that telemarketing scam artists actually receive tougher penalties.”