Livingston County’s representative in Congress has co-sponsored legislation related to something everyone is dealing with – robocalls.

The House passed the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act (HR 3375), which was co-sponsored by 8th District Representative Elissa Slotkin. She offered testimony on the bill and urged the committee to continue taking up legislation to bring an end to the scourge of robocalls. The Holly Democrat said she, like most Michiganders, hates the calls and thinks they drive everyone equally crazy - regardless of political party. Slotkin said when she sees an unknown number on her phone, like most people, she lets it go to voicemail. She says things are only getting worse and last year alone there were 1.2 billion robocalls made in Michigan. In 2019, Michiganders have already received 784 million robocalls. Slotkin testified the robocalls are also more than just an annoyance everyone shares as most calls involve some sort of scam.

The Stopping Bad Robocalls Act would prevent robocalls from interrupting and scamming consumers, and offers a comprehensive legislative solution to address the rising tide of robocalls. It would ensure that every call consumers receive is verified, allow the blocking of robocalls without an extra charge, and ensure the Federal Communications Commission will enact strong consumer protections and quickly go after scammers.

In closing, Slotkin said “Please keep your foot on the gas on this; I know there are a number of pending pieces of legislation you're also looking at on this issue, and I urge you to take them up. This is something that affects all of our constituents in their daily lives. In an era when sometimes people feel like the government can't get anything done, I think this would be a huge positive step”. (JM)