| 1 | 1 | | II |
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| 2 | 2 | | 119THCONGRESS |
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| 3 | 3 | | 1 |
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| 4 | 4 | | STSESSION S. 1025 |
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| 5 | 5 | | To authorize the Federal Communications Commission to enforce its own |
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| 6 | 6 | | forfeiture penalties with respect to violations of restrictions on the use |
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| 7 | 7 | | of telephone equipment, and for other purposes. |
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| 8 | 8 | | IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES |
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| 9 | 9 | | MARCH13, 2025 |
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| 10 | 10 | | Mr. L |
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| 11 | 11 | | UJA´N(for himself, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. WELCH, Mr. SCHATZ, Mr. |
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| 12 | 12 | | D |
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| 13 | 13 | | URBIN, and Ms. KLOBUCHAR) introduced the following bill; which was |
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| 14 | 14 | | read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and |
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| 15 | 15 | | Transportation |
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| 16 | 16 | | A BILL |
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| 17 | 17 | | To authorize the Federal Communications Commission to |
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| 18 | 18 | | enforce its own forfeiture penalties with respect to viola- |
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| 19 | 19 | | tions of restrictions on the use of telephone equipment, |
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| 20 | 20 | | and for other purposes. |
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| 21 | 21 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1 |
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| 22 | 22 | | tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 |
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| 23 | 23 | | SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 |
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| 24 | 24 | | This Act may be cited as the ‘‘FCC Legal Enforce-4 |
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| 25 | 25 | | ment Act’’. 5 |
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| 26 | 26 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:09 Mar 25, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1025.IS S1025 |
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| 27 | 27 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 2 |
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| 28 | 28 | | •S 1025 IS |
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| 29 | 29 | | SEC. 2. ENFORCEMENT OF FORFEITURE PENALTIES BY 1 |
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| 30 | 30 | | FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION. 2 |
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| 31 | 31 | | (a) I |
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| 32 | 32 | | NGENERAL.—Title V of the Communications 3 |
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| 33 | 33 | | Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 501 et seq.) is amended— 4 |
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| 34 | 34 | | (1) in section 503(b)(3)(B) (47 U.S.C. 5 |
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| 35 | 35 | | 503(b)(3)(B)), by striking ‘‘In such action,’’ and in-6 |
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| 36 | 36 | | serting the following: ‘‘If, during the 120-day period 7 |
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| 37 | 37 | | beginning on the date of a referral of an unpaid for-8 |
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| 38 | 38 | | feiture penalty imposed for a violation of section 227 9 |
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| 39 | 39 | | (relating to restrictions on the use of telephone 10 |
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| 40 | 40 | | equipment), the Attorney General does not com-11 |
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| 41 | 41 | | mence an action to recover the amount assessed, the 12 |
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| 42 | 42 | | Commission may commence and supervise the litiga-13 |
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| 43 | 43 | | tion of such an action and any appeal of such an ac-14 |
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| 44 | 44 | | tion in its own name by any of its attorneys des-15 |
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| 45 | 45 | | ignated by it for such purpose. In any action under 16 |
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| 46 | 46 | | this subparagraph,’’; and 17 |
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| 47 | 47 | | (2) in section 504(a) (47 U.S.C. 504(a))— 18 |
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| 48 | 48 | | (A) by striking ‘‘It shall be the duty’’ and 19 |
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| 49 | 49 | | inserting ‘‘Except as provided in the subsequent 20 |
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| 50 | 50 | | sentence, it shall be the duty’’; and 21 |
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| 51 | 51 | | (B) by striking ‘‘The costs and expenses of 22 |
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| 52 | 52 | | such prosecutions’’ and inserting the following: 23 |
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| 53 | 53 | | ‘‘If, during the 120-day period beginning on the 24 |
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| 54 | 54 | | date on which the Commission refers an unpaid 25 |
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| 55 | 55 | | forfeiture penalty imposed for a violation of sec-26 |
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| 56 | 56 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:09 Mar 25, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1025.IS S1025 |
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| 57 | 57 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 3 |
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| 58 | 58 | | •S 1025 IS |
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| 59 | 59 | | tion 227 (relating to restrictions on the use of 1 |
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| 60 | 60 | | telephone equipment) to the Attorney General 2 |
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| 61 | 61 | | for prosecution under this subsection, the At-3 |
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| 62 | 62 | | torney General does not commence such a pros-4 |
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| 63 | 63 | | ecution, the Commission may prosecute for the 5 |
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| 64 | 64 | | recovery of the forfeiture penalty. The costs and 6 |
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| 65 | 65 | | expenses of a prosecution under this sub-7 |
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| 66 | 66 | | section’’. 8 |
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| 67 | 67 | | (b) P |
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| 68 | 68 | | RIORITY.—In carrying out the amendments 9 |
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| 69 | 69 | | made by subsection (a) of this section, the Federal Com-10 |
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| 70 | 70 | | munications Commission shall prioritize enforcement of 11 |
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| 71 | 71 | | unpaid forfeiture penalties imposed for a violation of sec-12 |
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| 72 | 72 | | tion 227 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 13 |
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| 73 | 73 | | 227) (relating to restrictions on the use of telephone 14 |
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| 74 | 74 | | equipment) that are greater than $25,000,000. 15 |
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| 75 | 75 | | SEC. 3. REGULATIONS FOR RESTRICTIONS ON USE OF 16 |
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| 76 | 76 | | AUTOMATED TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT. 17 |
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| 77 | 77 | | Section 227(b)(2) of the Communications Act of 18 |
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| 78 | 78 | | 1934 (47 U.S.C. 227(b)(2)) is amended, in the matter 19 |
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| 79 | 79 | | preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting before the pe-20 |
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| 80 | 80 | | riod the following: ‘‘as necessary in the judgment of the 21 |
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| 81 | 81 | | Commission to protect subscribers from unwanted calls’’. 22 |
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| 82 | 82 | | Æ |
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| 83 | 83 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:09 Mar 25, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S1025.IS S1025 |
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| 84 | 84 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB |
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