Sponsors (4)
The bill increases consumer protection against robocalls by creating clearer rules and criminal penalties — improving deterrence and remedies — but it also raises the risk of criminal liability for individuals and small businesses (especially where prior rules were unclear) and increases enforcement costs.
Consumers (including victims of mass robocall/text campaigns) gain stronger protections because willful TCPA violations now carry criminal penalties — including aggravated penalties for high‑volume or high‑loss schemes — which should deter robocalls and unwanted automated texts.
Consumers and enforcement agencies benefit from clarified statutory definitions (e.g., of “call” and “initiate”), reducing ambiguity about which communications are covered and making protections and enforcement more predictable.
Individuals and small businesses face increased criminal exposure — including potential jail time and federal fines — and may be unfairly penalized for conduct that previously relied on unclear rules, creating significant legal risk and due‑process/fairness concerns.
Stronger criminal enforcement will raise government investigation and prosecution costs and could divert law‑enforcement resources from other priorities, imposing indirect costs on taxpayers and public agencies.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced December 4, 2025 by Catherine Marie Cortez Masto · Last progress December 4, 2025
Creates new criminal penalties under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by adding a criminal subsection to 47 U.S.C. § 227 for willful and knowing violations of the law on autodialed calls and texts. Misdemeanor penalties (up to 1 year imprisonment, a Title 18 fine, or both) apply for willful violations; aggravated penalties (up to 3 years imprisonment, a Title 18 fine, or both) apply for repeat offenders or where specified aggravating factors are met (large-volume thresholds, intent to further a felony, or aggregate losses of $5,000+). The bill also defines key terms (including “call” and “initiate”), updates a statutory cross-reference, and corrects typographical/numbering errors in the TCPA text.