I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 721 
To direct the Attorney General to convene an interagency working group 
to study the enforcement of section 227(b) of the Communications Act 
of 1934. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 23, 2019 
Mr. CRIST (for himself, Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, and Mr. 
JONES) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To direct the Attorney General to convene an interagency 
working group to study the enforcement of section 
227(b) of the Communications Act of 1934. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Spam Calls Task Force 
Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General, in con-
sultation with the Federal Communications Commission, 
shall convene an interagency working group to study the 
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enforcement of section 227(b) of the Communications Act 
of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 227(b)). 
(b) DUTIES.—In carrying out the study under sub-
section (a), the interagency working group shall— 
(1) determine whether, and if so how, any Fed-
eral law, including regulations, policies, and prac-
tices, or budgetary or jurisdictional constraints in-
hibit the enforcement of such section; 
(2) identify existing and potential Federal poli-
cies and programs that encourage and improve co-
ordination among Federal departments and agencies 
and States, and between States, in the enforcement 
and prevention of the violation of such section; 
(3) identify existing and potential international 
policies and programs that encourage and improve 
coordination between countries in the enforcement 
and prevention of the violation of such section (and 
laws of foreign countries prohibiting similar con-
duct); and 
(4) consider— 
(A) the benefit and potential sources of ad-
ditional resources for the Federal enforcement 
and prevention of the violation of such section; 
(B) whether memoranda of understanding 
regarding the enforcement and prevention of 
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the violation of such section should be estab-
lished between— 
(i) the States; 
(ii) the States and the Federal Gov-
ernment; and 
(iii) the Federal Government and for-
eign governments; 
(C) whether a process should be estab-
lished to allow States to request Federal sub-
poenas from the Federal Communications Com-
mission with respect to the enforcement of such 
section; 
(D) whether increased criminal penalties 
for the violation of such section (including in-
creasing the amount of fines and increasing the 
maximum term of imprisonment that may be 
imposed to a period greater than 2 years) are 
appropriate; 
(E) whether regulation of any entity that 
enters into a business arrangement with a car-
rier for the specific purpose of carrying, rout-
ing, or transmitting a call that constitutes a 
violation of such section would assist in the suc-
cessful enforcement and prevention of the viola-
tion of such section; and 
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(F) the extent to which the prosecution of 
certain violations of such section (which result 
in economic, physical, or emotional harm) pur-
suant to any Department of Justice policy may 
inhibit or otherwise interfere with the prosecu-
tion of other violations of such section. 
(c) MEMBERS.—The interagency working group shall 
be composed of such representatives of Federal depart-
ments and agencies as the Attorney General considers ap-
propriate, which may include— 
(1) the Department of Commerce; 
(2) the Department of State; 
(3) the Department of Homeland Security; 
(4) the Federal Communications Commission; 
(5) the Federal Trade Commission; and 
(6) the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protec-
tion. 
(d) NON-FEDERAL STAKEHOLDERS.—In carrying 
out the study under subsection (a), the interagency work-
ing group shall consult with such non-Federal stake-
holders as the Attorney General determines have relevant 
expertise, including the National Association of Attorneys 
General. 
(e) REPORT
TO
CONGRESS.—Not later than 9 
months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
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interagency working group shall submit to the Committee 
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on the Judi-
ciary of the House of Representatives a report on the find-
ings of the study under subsection (a), including— 
(1) any recommendations regarding the enforce-
ment and prevention of the violation of such section; 
and 
(2) a description of what process, if any, rel-
evant Federal departments and agencies have made 
in implementing the recommendations under para-
graph (1). 
Æ 
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