Charlie Crist says that, “In 2018 alone, Floridians experienced close to 4 billion spam calls.”

WASHINGTON, DC – Both houses of Congress have passed a proposal by U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-St. Petersburg, that targets spam telephone calls.

The Spam Calls Task Force Act was included in the TRACED Act, which was introduced by Rep. Frank Pallone, D-NJ, and Sen. John Thune, R-SD,  passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday (Dec. 4) afternoon by a vote of 417-3. It is now headed to the president’s desk.

“In 2018 alone, Floridians experienced close to 4 billion spam calls – invading their privacy and putting their personal information at risk. Today we say, ‘enough is enough,’ putting the full weight of the federal government behind ending this scourge on the American people,” Crist said. “I am proud of this bipartisan, bicameral effort, and look forward to seeing the Spam Calls Task Force Act signed into law.”

The Spam Calls Task Force Act directs the U.S. attorney general to work with the Federal Communications Commission to convene an inter-agency working group with other federal and state agencies to address these issues relating to spam calls:

• to determine if any Federal laws, regulations, or policies inhibit the enforcement of section of the Telephone Consumer Protections Act that prohibits spam/scam calls;
• to identify existing and potential policies and programs that encourage and improve coordination among departments, agencies, and states;
• to identify existing and potential international policies and programs;
• to consider if additional resources would be helpful;
• to consider if formal agreements between states and the federal government and/or foreign governments would be helpful; and
• to consider if increased criminal penalties or fines would serve as an increased deterrent.

Crist represents Florida’s 13th Congressional District, which includes south and mid-Pinellas County.

For information about Crist, go to crist.house.gov.

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