Mullin, Durbin, Schakowsky, Introduce Bicameral Bill to Crack Down on Illegal Robocalls

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), and U.S. Representative Kevin Mullin (D-CA-15) today reintroduced the Protecting American Consumers from Robocalls Act, a bill that would help end the plague of illegal robocalls in America. The legislation would give the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Do-Not-Call Registry teeth by providing all telephone subscribers, including small businesses, the ability to seek damages for all unconsented-to telemarketing calls immediately after such a call.

Robocalls have become a widespread annoyance but are also costing consumers billions of dollars. In 2025, Americans lost more than $1.1 billion to phone scams. These scams are also becoming more advanced with the creation of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, which has lowered the cost of dialing to allow scammers to bombard non-consenting consumers with never-ending calls for pennies on the dollar. Lead-generators compound this issue by inviting consumers to provide their information on one platform only to misuse and sell this information to hundreds of robocallers.

In addition, through neighbor spoofing-a deceptive practice that allows callers to disguise the number from which they are calling-scammers can trick unknowing consumers into answering the phone. AI-generated voices that impersonate celebrities, family members, and elected officials make scammers even more difficult to detect.

Robocall scams often target the most vulnerable within our communities, including senior citizens, immigrant communities, and people with disabilities. Small businesses also are bombarded with these illegal calls, creating additional and burdensome costs and interfering with productivity.

"Robocall scams are getting more technologically sophisticated, including through the use of AI, while defrauding Americans of billions of dollars each year and disproportionately targeting our most vulnerable communities and seniors. I'm proud to co-lead the Protecting American Consumers from Robocalls Act because no one should be scammed out of their life savings and we urgently need to strengthen protections for individuals as well as small businesses," said Mullin.

"Like most Americans, I've experienced the nuisance of constant robocalls. At best, these calls are an insatiable annoyance, and at worst, these calls prey on consumers by trying to undermine someone's personal privacy and financial information," said Durbin. "It's got to stop. The Protecting American Consumers from Robocalls Act will put real enforcement behind each violation of the Do-Not-Call Registry, protecting Americans from the scammers on the other end of the phoneline."

"'Do not call' means do not call. Period. But illegitimate and intrusive robocalls are only getting worse, especially as scammers weaponize AI to impersonate loved ones and exploit Americans. So many of us are bombarded with relentless calls. Enough is enough," said Schakowsky. "That's why I am reintroducing legislation that empowers victims to hold scammers accountable after just one illegal call. We need strong, pro-consumer guardrails now."

"Small-business owners need to answer the phone every time it rings, or risk losing customers. This exposes Mom & Pop shops to aggressive telemarketing and scam robocalls," said Patrick Crotty, senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC). "The Protecting American Consumers from Robocalls Act gives small-business owners and others options to make the calls stop."

Specifically, the Protecting American Consumers from Robocalls Act:

• Amends TCPA to cover the equipment that scammers and telemarketers use by updating the definition of an Automated Telephone Dialing System to include systems which dial phone numbers from a stored list successively without human intervention;

• Allows small businesses to add their numbers to the Do-Not-Call Registry;

• Provides landline and cellular consumers, including small businesses, who have telephone numbers on the Do-Not-Call Registry, a private right of action after receiving one telephone call by or on behalf of the same entity in violation of the TCPA; and

• Ensures that a minimum of $500 can be levied for each violation of the Do-Not-Call Registry.

In 1991, Congress passed the TCPA in response to a spike in telemarketing calls. The TCPA prohibits calls using an automatic telephone dialing system or a prerecorded voice, including AI-generated voices, from being made to cell phones without the prior express consent of the call recipient. While the TCPA also prohibits telemarketing calls to landlines without prior consent, these rules routinely are ignored because the enforceable penalties only apply if there are two or more calls in a 12-month period to the same line from the same caller.

The Protecting American Consumers from Robocalls Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Peter Welch (D-VT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Angus King (I-ME).

The bill is endorsed by the National Consumer Law Center, Consumer Action, Electronic Privacy Information Center, National Consumers League, Consumer Federation of America, and Public Citizen.

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