Press Releases
Grothman Hangs Up on Robocalls With Vote
Washington,
July 24, 2019
Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) today voted in favor of H.R. 3375, the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, of which he was a cosponsor. The bill passed the House 429-3. H.R. 3375 was introduced by Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ). Grothman was one of just 67 Republican cosponsors. The Stopping Bad Robocalls Act will give individuals the choice to opt-out of receiving robocalls, require callers keep detailed records of who has or has not opted out of robocalls and prevent the callers from evading the new rules. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will have up to one year from the time the bill is signed into law to fully implement these new rules and would be required to keep Congress updated on the entities breaking the rules. In 2018, an estimated 47.8 billion robocalls were placed nationwide, a 57 percent increase over 2017. Illegal robocalls affect American life in increasingly harmful ways, from scams to defraud consumers to disrupting our health care system. “Receiving bothersome robocalls is an issue I hear about from my constituents every week and Congressional action is long overdue,” said Grothman. “Unfortunately, and I’m sure I’m not alone, I have had older family members receive these calls designed specifically to scam senior citizens. I particularly don’t like receiving robocalls in the car, especially when they use a local phone number to make you think it’s a friend or family member. I don’t need to be receiving daily calls with an automated voice asking me if I need help paying off my student debt that was paid off decades ago! In 2015, there were 8.7 billion robocalls placed in America. Each year, this number has sharply risen and in 2019 we are on track to hit 60 billion. Robocalls have turned into a national epidemic and many have lost confidence in our telephone system. I was happy to work with Congressman Pallone on this bipartisan achievement. Now, the bill heads to the Senate, where I hope my colleagues quickly pass this bill that will once again give Americans the freedom to live without the danger or harassment of robocalls” -30- U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman is serving his third term representing Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. |