{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-passes-legislation-crack-down-unwanted-and-predatory-robocalls", "House Passes Legislation to Crack Down on Unwanted and Predatory Robocalls", "2019-12-05", "2019", "2019-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "welch.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Late yesterday afternoon, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation to crack down on unwanted and predatory robocalls. The House vote was 417-3. The Senate is expected to approve the bill in the near future and send it to the desk of President Trump for his expected signature.\nVermonters are fed up with intrusive robocalls that are annoying at best and predatory at worst, said Welch. These calls often originate from scam artists intent on ripping off unsuspecting consumers, particularly seniors. This bill gives the FCC the tools it needs to be the cop on the beat to go after these bad actors.\nSpecifically, the TRACED Act will:\n \nEnsure the FCC has the authority to take decisive action to track down robocallers violating the law;\n\tAllow consumers to revoke prior consent to receive calls;\n\tRequire carriers to offer call-authentication technology to consumers and small businessesin rural and urban Americaat no additional charge;\n\tRequire opt-in or opt-out robocall blocking be offered at no additional charge to consumers;\n\tRequire the FCC to work to stop one-ring scams; and\n\tExtend the statute of limitations from one to four years for robocallers violating the law.\n \nIn May, Welch was joined at an airport press conference by Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan and Shelburne senior Kathryn Ottinger to highlight legislation he cosponsored to tackle the problem. Mrs. Ottinger shared her experience of being bombarded at her home by daily robocalls.\nDuring House debate on the bill, Welch spoke about how the bill would benefit Mrs. Ottinger and other Vermonters. Here is video of his remarks.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-passes-legislation-crack-down-unwanted-and-predatory-robocalls"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5255650505423546, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}