Congressman Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02) introduces the Robocall Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2019 to crack down on abusive, annoying, and illegal robocalls. This piece of legislation provides the necessary tools for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to go after those who violate robocall and spoofing laws and it also lengthens the amount of time that the FCC can go after these transgressors.

“Over the years, countless people throughout South Jersey have shared with me that they are constantly harassed by robocalls and scams,” said Representative Van Drew. “Robocall scams not only inconvenience us at the dinner table, but they prey on the vulnerable, including seniors, and it’s despicable.  My bill will help protect consumers by ensuring that robocallers and scammers are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

As a New Jersey State Senator, Van Drew sponsored the original Do Not Call list for the state and fought to strengthen that list to limit the ability of robocallers to annoy and prey upon our citizens. Data shows that New Jersey residents reported 321,393 robocall complaints last year alone – more than any other state in the nation.

Robocall scams are at an all-time high and getting worse. One report estimates that the number of spam calls will grow from 30 percent of all phone calls in 2018 to 42 percent in 2019. In 2017 alone, the Federal Trade Commission received more than 4.5 million robocall complaints, an increase of over a million calls from the year before.

Summary of the Robocall Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2018:

• Authorizes the FCC to pursue cases against robocall rule violations without first issuing a citation;
• Increases the statute of limitations for the FCC to pursue spoofing violations from two years to three years; and
• Increases the statute of limitations for the FCC to pursue robocall violations from one year to three years.