Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Stopping Bad Robocalls Act which included Montana Congressman Greg Gianforte’s Tracing Back and Catching Unlawful Robocalls Act. Gianforte spoke on the House floor and urged lawmakers to pass the bill.

“Montanans’ are bombarded with robocalls,” Gianforte said. “Last year alone, Americans received over 48 billion robocalls. That is nearly 100,000 robocalls per minute. Too many robocalls are deceptive and destructive, from bogus insurance offers to threats of legal action. Scam artists scheme to steal hardworking Montanans’ private personal and financial information.”

Gianforte told lawmakers the story of a young woman in Bozeman who received a robocall from the number of her recently deceased younger brother. He says robocalls like this are ‘disgusting’ and they should not happen.

“Today, we are taking a big step toward stopping illegal robocalls,” Gianforte said. “We’re empowering consumers. Phone companies will provide consumers with call-authentication tools and blocking services at no cost. Illegal callers will face more jail time. Let’s get robocall relief across the finish line for the American people.”

The Stopping Bad Robocalls Act passed the House on Wednesday on a 429-3 vote and now moves to the U.S. Senate for action.

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