[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 120 (Wednesday, July 17, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S4912]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Ms. Sinema, Mr. Hawley, Mr. Peters, 
        Ms. McSally, and Mr. Scott of Florida):
  S. 2147. A bill to double the existing penalties for the provision of 
misleading or inaccurate caller identification information, and to 
extend the statute of limitations for forfeiture penalties for persons 
who commit such violations; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the ``Anti-
Spoofing Penalty Modernization Act of 2019'' with my colleague, Senator 
Sinema, who serves with me on the Senate Committee on Aging, which I 
chair. I am also pleased that Senators Hawley, Peters, and McSally have 
joined as original cosponsors.
  This morning, the Senate Aging Committee held its 23rd hearing in the 
past six years to examine scams targeting our Nation's seniors. Scams 
the Committee has examined include the infamous IRS imposter scam the 
Jamaican Lottery scam, computer tech support scams, grandparent scams, 
elder financial exploitation, identity theft, and the notorious ``Drug 
Mule'' scam--where seniors are tricked into unwittingly serving as drug 
couriers.
  Two things are central to nearly all of these scams: first, the scams 
are initiated by robocallers who cast a wide net in their hunt for 
potential victims, and second, the scammers ``spoof' the victim's 
Caller-ID to mask their identity, a key to the success of their 
outrageous frauds. When victims see the ``Internal Revenue Service'' or 
the ``local Sheriff's Department'' pop-up on their Caller-ID, they are 
understandably worried, scared, and often easily hustled into doing 
whatever the scammers demand.
  Last year, robocallers generated more than 26 billion unwanted calls 
that reached American mobile phones. When landlines are included, the 
number soars to 48 billion. In Maine alone, our residents received an 
astonishing 93 million robocalls last year. That averages out to 73 
calls to every person in Maine. So far this year, scammers are on pace 
to generate more than 58 billion unwanted, illegal robocalls targeting 
Americans.
  Putting a stop to these illegal robocalls requires a coordinated 
approach from all levels of our government, working in coordination 
with the private sector. Recently, this body overwhelmingly passed the 
bipartisan ``TRACED Act,'' which makes a number of important changes to 
our law that will help make it easier to fight illegal robocalls, such 
as increasing civil penalties on robocallers and extending the statute 
of limitations for violations to three years. The TRACED Act also 
requires telecommunications carriers to implement the so-called SHAKEN/
STIR technology to verify whether Caller-IDs that appear on incoming 
calls are authentic. When fully implemented, this technology will be a 
major advance against illegal spoofing. I am pleased to be a cosponsor 
of the TRACED Act, and I am hopeful it will soon become law.
  The bipartisan bill we are introducing today complements the TRACED 
Act by doubling the penalties on illegal spoofing. Except for inflation 
adjustments, the penalties on illegal spoofing have not been updated 
since they were first passed into law through the Truth in Caller ID 
Act of 2009. Our bill also extends the statute of limitations to three 
years for spoofing violations to match the extension for robocalling 
violations included in the TRACED Act.
  Mr. President, putting an end to the scourge of illegal robocalls 
will take an aware public, aggressive action by regulators and law 
enforcement agencies, and a coordinated effort at every level of our 
telecommunications industry. The enhanced penalties called for by the 
``Anti-Spoofing Penalty Modernization Act'' are an important tool in 
the fight. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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