House passes bipartisan anti-robocall bill
Top Republican is "sure" President Trump will sign it.
A bill aimed at cracking down on the robocall epidemic overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives Wednesday.
Spam calls have exploded worldwide, up by 18 percent this calendar year, according to Truecaller.
Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., said 54 billion unsolicited calls were made this year, and he supported the TRACED Act with 416 of his colleagues. Just three House members voted against the bill.
Walden told FOX Business' Stuart Varney Wednesday that he is "sure" the president will sign it.
"We're going to do the best we can and work with both the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make sure they are able to go after these bad actors, with real teeth in the law, and prosecute these cases," Walden told FOX Business' Stuart Varney on Tuesday.
THIS IS THE NO. 1 ROBOCALL SCAM AND THE STATES WHERE PEOPLE GET HASSLED
Walden said the legislation calls on phone carriers to continue implementing technologies to block these callers. In the case carriers do not comply, Walden said the FCC will be given authority to mandate implementation.
A special program looking into the health care sector has been created, Walden said, after scammers are mimicking hospital phone numbers, asking patients for personal data.
"People are getting ripped off," he said. "I heard about somebody on an Oregon donation list who got the call that they were going to get an organ donated – didn't take it because they didn’t recognize the number."
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"I'm sure the president will sign it," he said.