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[Pages H9227-H9228]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MAKING COMMUNITIES RESILIENT AGAINST SCAMMERS IS CRITICAL
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Wisconsin (Mr. Steil) for 5 minutes.
Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, in 2018 an estimated 47 billion spam
robocalls were placed in the United States. Americans lost $1.5 billion
to fraud last year. Weekly, sometimes daily, our phones are flooded
with spam calls. Not only are these calls annoying, but these criminals
trick people into giving away personal information such as their Social
Security number or bank information.
Robocalls affect everyone from Janesville to Kenosha to Racine and
everywhere in between.
Last month I held an identity theft fraud prevention workshop in
southeast Wisconsin. More than 200 residents attended and received
useful tips from Federal and State agencies on how to protect
themselves from fraud. Making
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communities resilient from scammers is critical.
Robocalls are becoming more sophisticated every day. It is becoming
easier for Americans to fall victim to scamming. That is why Congress
must act.
Today the House is voting on a bill I cosponsored, the Telephone
Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act, or the TRACED
Act.
The TRACED Act strengthens penalties for criminals who conduct spam
robocalls. This bill also requires telecommunications companies to
develop new ways to certify all calls are from legitimate people.
Working together with phone companies, consumer groups, and the Federal
Government will protect our community--and go after the bad guys.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense,
nonpartisan bill.
We Must Recommit to Ending the Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic
Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, this week we recommit ourselves to ending the
HIV/AIDS epidemic. We have made progress to prevent infections and
enhance treatment, but more work must be done.
Supporting the Global Fund and fully funding its programs is an
important piece of the puzzle. The Global Fund is a partnership
organization that works with governments and private sectors to end the
AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria epidemics. By developing low-cost,
high-impact treatments and technologies, we can save lives.
Since the creation of the Global Fund in 2002, deaths caused by these
diseases have been reduced by one-third each year in countries where
the Global Fund invests. I was proud to cosponsor the bill and see the
House support the Global Fund.
This is an important issue to many across southeast Wisconsin.
Earlier this year, I met with Pastor Bob Griffith and Pastor Lawrence
Kirby to discuss the United States' commitment to battling these health
epidemics, whether that be at home in southeast Wisconsin or throughout
the world.
Pastor Griffith's and Pastor Kirby's work in the Racine and Kenosha
communities is admirable. They advocate for those in poverty and for
our global community dealing with these diseases.
We thank Pastor Griffith and Pastor Kirby for their dedication to
this cause, for bringing awareness to the fight.
We must continue working together and ensure education, treatment,
and assistance is available to those who need it.
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