Bryan Steil: “In 2018 an estimated 47 billion spam robocalls were placed in the United States. Americans lost $1.5 billion to fraud…”

“In 2018 an estimated 47 billion spam robocalls were placed in the United States. Americans lost $1.5 billion to fraud last year. Weekly, sometimes daily, our phones are flooded with spam calls. Not only are these calls annoying, but these criminals trick people into giving away personal information such as their Social Security number or bank information. Robocalls affect everyone from Janesville to Kenosha to Racine and everywhere in between. Last month I held an identity theft fraud prevention workshop in southeast Wisconsin. More than 200 residents attended and received useful tips from Federal and State agencies on how to protect themselves from fraud. Making communities resilient from scammers is critical. Robocalls are becoming more sophisticated every day. It is becoming easier for Americans to fall victim to scamming. That is why Congress must act. Today the House is voting on a bill I cosponsored, the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act, or the TRACED Act. The TRACED Act strengthens penalties for criminals who conduct spam robocalls. This bill also requires telecommunications companies to develop new ways to certify all calls are from legitimate people. Working together with phone companies, consumer groups, and the Federal Government will protect our community--and go after the bad guys. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense, nonpartisan bill. We Must Recommit to Ending the Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic”