119-hr4954

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4954 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

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119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 4954

To require the Secretary of Labor to maintain a publicly available list 
 of all employers that relocate a call center or contract call center 
work overseas, to make such companies ineligible for Federal grants or 
guaranteed loans, and to require disclosure of the physical location of 
 business agents engaging in customer service communications, and for 
 other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 August 12, 2025

 Ms. McDonald Rivet (for herself and Mr. Fitzpatrick) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Workforce, 
Oversight and Government Reform, and Armed Services, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
 of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
 concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To require the Secretary of Labor to maintain a publicly available list 
 of all employers that relocate a call center or contract call center 
work overseas, to make such companies ineligible for Federal grants or 
guaranteed loans, and to require disclosure of the physical location of 
 business agents engaging in customer service communications, and for 
 other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Keep Call Centers 
in America Act of 2025''.

    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

Sec. 2. Definitions.
 TITLE I--CONSEQUENCES FOR RELOCATING OR CONTRACTING CALL CENTER WORK 
 OVERSEAS

Sec. 101. List of call centers relocating or contracting call center 
 work overseas and ineligibility for grants 
 or guaranteed loans.

Sec. 102. Rule of construction related to Federal benefits for workers.

Sec. 103. Report regarding Federal call center work locations.

Sec. 104. Requirement that call center work under a Federal contract be 
 performed inside the United States.
 TITLE II--REQUIRED DISCLOSURES IN CUSTOMER SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS

Sec. 201. Required disclosures by business entities engaged in customer 
 service communications.

Sec. 202. Enforcement.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) Agency.--The term ``agency'' means a Federal or State 
 executive agency or a military department.

    (2) Artificial intelligence.--The term ``artificial 
 intelligence'' means a machine-based system that can, for 
 explicit or implicit objectives, infer from the input it 
 receives how to generate outputs such as predictions, 
 recommendations, or decisions that can influence real or 
 virtual environments.

    (3) Business entity.--The term ``business entity'' means 
 any organization, corporation, trust, partnership, sole 
 proprietorship, unincorporated association, or venture 
 established to make a profit, in whole or in part, by 
 purposefully availing itself of the privilege of conducting 
 commerce in the United States.

    (4) Call center.--The term ``call center'' means an 
 operation in which employees (including employees working at 
 one or more facilities or employees working remotely from the 
 home of the employee) receive incoming telephone calls, emails, 
 or other electronic communication for the purpose of providing 
 customer assistance or other service.

    (5) Consumer.--The term ``consumer'' means any individual 
 within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States who 
 purchases, transacts, or contracts for the purchase or 
 transaction of any goods, merchandise, or services, not for 
 resale in the ordinary course of the individual's trade or 
 business, but for the individual's use or that of a member of 
 the individual's household.

    (6) Contracting call center work overseas.--The term 
 ``contracting call center work overseas'' means transferring 
 the work of a call center, or of one or more facilities or 
 operating units within a call center comprising at least 30 
 percent of the total volume of the call center or operating 
 unit when measured against the previous 12-month average call 
 volume of operations or substantially similar operations, 
 through a contract or other agreement to another entity who 
 will perform that work outside of the United States.

    (7) Customer service communication.--The term ``customer 
 service communication'' means any telecommunication or wire 
 communication between a consumer and a business entity in 
 furtherance of commerce.

    (8) Employer.--The term ``employer'' means any business 
 enterprise that employs in a call center--
        (A) 50 or more employees, excluding part-time 
 employees; or
        (B) 50 or more employees who in the aggregate work 
 at least 1,500 hours per week (exclusive of hours of 
 overtime).

    (9) Part-time employee.--The term ``part-time employee'' 
 means an employee who is employed for an average of fewer than 
 20 hours per week or who has been employed for fewer than 6 of 
 the 12 months preceding the date on which notice is required.

    (10) Relocating and relocation.--The terms ``relocating'' 
 and ``relocation'' refer to the closure of a call center, or 
 the cessation of operations of a call center, or one or more 
 facilities or operating units within a call center comprising 
 at least 30 percent of the total volume of the call center or 
 operating unit, when measured against the previous 12-month 
 average call volume of operations or substantially similar 
 operations, and the transferring of the operations of the call 
 center (or facilities or operating units) to another location 
 outside of the United States.

    (11) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
 of Labor.

    (12) Telecommunication.--The term ``telecommunication'' 
 means the transmission, between or among points specified by 
 the communicator, of information of the communicator's 
 choosing, without change in the form or content of the 
 information as sent and received.

    (13) Wire communication.--The term ``wire communication'' 
 means the transmission of writing, signs, signals, pictures, 
 and sounds of all kinds by aid of wire, cable, or other like 
 connection between the points of origin and reception of such 
 transmission, including all instrumentalities, facilities, 
 apparatus, and services (among other things, the receipt, 
 forwarding, and delivery of communications) incidental to such 
 transmission.

 TITLE I--CONSEQUENCES FOR RELOCATING OR CONTRACTING CALL CENTER WORK 
 OVERSEAS

SEC. 101. LIST OF CALL CENTERS RELOCATING OR CONTRACTING CALL CENTER 
 WORK OVERSEAS AND INELIGIBILITY FOR GRANTS OR GUARANTEED 
 LOANS.

    (a) List.--

    (1) Notice requirement.--
        (A) In general.--Not fewer than 120 days before 
 relocating a call center outside of the United States 
 or contracting call center work overseas, an employer 
 shall notify the Secretary of such relocation or 
 contracting.
        (B) Penalty.--A person who violates subparagraph
        (A) shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed 
 $10,000 for each day of violation.

    (2) Establishment and maintenance of list.--
        (A) In general.--The Secretary shall establish, 
 maintain, and make available to the public a list of 
 all employers who relocate a call center or contract 
 call center work overseas, as described in paragraph

    (1)
        (A) .
        (B) Term.--Each employer included in the list 
 required by subparagraph
        (A) shall remain on the list, 
 except as provided in subparagraph
            (C) , for a period 
 not to exceed 5 years after each instance of relocating 
 a call center or contracting call center work overseas.
            (C) Removal.--The Secretary shall remove an 
 employer from the list required by subparagraph
        (A) if 
 the Secretary determines that--
            (i) 
            (I) the employer has relocated a call 
 center from a location outside of the United 
 States to a location in the United States; and
            (II) the new call center in the United 
 States employs a number of employees equal to 
 or greater than the number of employees who 
 worked at the original call center that was 
 relocated to a location outside of the United 
 States; or
            (ii) in the case of an employer who 
 contracted call center work overseas, the 
 employer demonstrates that the contract or 
 agreement has been amended to require that all 
 employees performing call center work under the 
 contract or agreement will be located in the 
 United States.

    (b) Ineligibility for Grants or Guaranteed Loans.--

    (1) Ineligibility.--
        (A) New awards.--
            (i) In general.--Except as provided in 
 paragraph

    (2) and clause
            (ii) and 
 notwithstanding any other provision of law, an 
 employer that appears on the list required by 
 subsection

    (a)

    (2)
        (A) shall be ineligible to 
 apply for or receive any direct or indirect 
 Federal grants or Federal guaranteed loans for 
 5 years after the date such employer was added 
 to the list.
            (ii) Exception for upcoming removal from 
 ineligibility list.--
            (I) In general.--An employer that 
 appears on the list required by 
 subsection

    (a)

    (2)
        (A) may be eligible to 
 apply for and receive a grant or loan 
 described in clause
            (i) if the employer 
 certifies to the awarding agency that 
 the employer will meet the requirements 
 described in subsection

    (a)

    (2)
            (C) to be 
 removed by the Secretary from such list 
 not later than 180 days after the date 
 on which the employer receives the 
 grant or loan.
            (II) Cancellation of grant or 
 loan.--With respect to any employer 
 that makes a certification described in 
 subclause
            (I) and receives the 
 applicable grant or loan, the awarding 
 agency for such grant or loan shall 
 cancel the grant or loan and clawback 
 any amount of the grant or loan 
 received by such employer if the 
 employer fails to meet the requirements 
 described in subsection

    (a)

    (2)
            (C) not 
 later than 180 days after the date on 
 which the employer received the grant 
 or loan.
        (B) Existing awards.--
            (i) In general.--Except as provided in 
 paragraph

    (2) and notwithstanding any other 
 provision of law, an employer that has received 
 any direct or indirect Federal grant or Federal 
 guaranteed loan and, after receiving the grant 
 or loan, is added to the list required by 
 subsection

    (a)

    (2)
        (A) --
            (I) shall, on a monthly basis 
 during the term of the grant for each 
 month in which the employer appears on 
 such list, pay a penalty to the 
 awarding agency of the grant or loan 
 equal to 8.3 percent of the total grant 
 or loan payment dispersed to the 
 employer as of the date on which the 
 first penalty is required to be paid 
 under this clause; and
            (II) shall not be entitled or 
 eligible to receive any further 
 disbursement of the grant or loan while 
 on such list.
            (ii) Cancellation.--An agency that has 
 awarded any direct or indirect Federal grant or 
 Federal guaranteed loan to an employer 
 described in clause
            (i) shall cancel the grant 
 or loan if the employer remains on the list 
 required by subsection

    (a)

    (2)
        (A) as of the date 
 that is one year after the date on which the 
 employer is first required to pay the penalty 
 under subclause
            (I) .
            (iii) Use of penalty amounts.--
            (I) In general.--Amounts paid as a 
 penalty under clause
            (i) 
            (I) to an 
 awarding agency shall be available to 
 the awarding agency, without further 
 appropriation, for the grant or loan 
 program with respect to which the 
 penalty is paid.
            (II) Prohibition on redistribution 
 to same employer.--Such amounts shall 
 not be available through such program 
 for the same grant or loan to the 
 employer that paid the penalty amounts.

    (2) Exceptions.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
 appropriate agency providing a loan or grant, may waive the 
 eligibility restriction provided under paragraph

    (1) if the 
 employer applying for such loan or grant demonstrates that a 
 lack of such loan or grant would--
        (A) threaten national security;
        (B) result in substantial job loss in the United 
 States; or
            (C) harm the environment.
            (c) Preference in Federal Contracting for Not Relocating or 
Contracting Call Center Work Overseas.--The head of an agency, when 
awarding a civilian or defense-related Federal contract, shall give 
preference to a United States employer that does not appear on the list 
required by subsection

    (a)

    (2)
        (A) .
            (d) Effective Date.--This section shall take effect on the date 
that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 102. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION RELATED TO FEDERAL BENEFITS FOR WORKERS.

 No provision of this title shall be construed to permit withholding 
or denial of payments, compensation, or benefits under any provision of 
Federal law (including Federal unemployment compensation, disability 
payments, or worker retraining or readjustment funds) to workers 
employed by employers that relocate operations outside the United 
States.

SEC. 103. REPORT REGARDING FEDERAL CALL CENTER WORK LOCATIONS.

 By not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Labor shall prepare and submit to Congress a report 
that documents the location, and amount, of call center work conducted 
by or for the Federal Government, including--

    (1) a determination of the amount of such Federal call 
 center work that is conducted by Federal employees, and the 
 amount conducted by Federal contractors;

    (2) all locations at which such Federal call center work is 
 being conducted, whether by Federal employees or through 
 Federal contracts; and

    (3) any job losses associated with the introduction or use 
 of artificial intelligence for customer service for Federal 
 call center work.

SEC. 104. REQUIREMENT THAT CALL CENTER WORK UNDER A FEDERAL CONTRACT BE 
 PERFORMED INSIDE THE UNITED STATES.

 The head of an agency, when awarding a civilian or defense-related 
Federal contract, shall require as a condition of the contract that any 
call center work performed in connection with the contract or any 
subcontract under the contract shall be performed inside the United 
States.

 TITLE II--REQUIRED DISCLOSURES IN CUSTOMER SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS

SEC. 201. REQUIRED DISCLOSURES BY BUSINESS ENTITIES ENGAGED IN CUSTOMER 
 SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS.

    (a) Required Disclosure by Business Entities Engaged in Customer 
Service Communications of Physical Location.--

    (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph

    (2) , a 
 business entity that either initiates or receives a customer 
 service communication shall require that, at the beginning of 
 each customer service communication so initiated or received, 
 each of its employees or agents participating in the 
 communication disclose--
        (A) their physical location; and
        (B) if their physical location is outside of the 
 United States, that the consumer may, as provided by 
 subsection
            (c) , request to be immediately transferred 
 to a customer service agent who is physically located 
 in the United States.

    (2) Exceptions.--
        (A) Business entities located in the united 
 states.--The requirements of paragraph

    (1) shall not 
 apply to a customer service communication involving a 
 business entity if all of the employees or agents of 
 the business entity participating in such communication 
 are physically located in the United States.
        (B) Communication initiated by consumer knowingly 
 to foreign entity or address.--The requirements of 
 paragraph

    (1) shall not apply to an employee or agent 
 of a business entity participating in a customer 
 service communication with a consumer if--
            (i) the customer service communication was 
 initiated by the consumer;
            (ii) the employee or agent is physically 
 located outside the United States; and
            (iii) the consumer knows or reasonably 
 should know that the employee or agent is 
 physically located outside the United States.
            (C) Emergency services.--The requirements of 
 paragraph

    (1) shall not apply to a customer service 
 communication relating to the provision of emergency 
 services (as defined by the Federal Trade Commission).
            (D) Business entities and customer service 
 communications excluded by federal trade commission.--
 The Federal Trade Commission may exclude certain 
 classes or types of business entities or customer 
 service communications from the requirements of 
 paragraph

    (1) if the Commission finds exceptionally 
 compelling circumstances that justify such exclusion.

    (b) Required Disclosure by Business Entities Engaged in Customer 
Service Communications of Use of Artificial Intelligence for Customer 
Service.--A business entity that either initiates or receives a 
customer service communication and uses artificial intelligence for 
customer service communication shall, at the beginning of each customer 
service communication so initiated or received, disclose--

    (1) that a nonhuman, artificial intelligence or machine is 
 being used for customer service; and

    (2) that the consumer may, as provided by subsection
            (c) , 
 request to be immediately transferred to a human operator who 
 is physically located in the United States, including, if 
 possible, by voice command (such as by saying the word 
 ``agent'').
            (c) Transfer to U.S.-Based Human Customer Service Center.--A 
business entity that is subject to the requirements of subsection

    (a) or

    (b) shall, at the request of a consumer, immediately transfer the 
consumer to a human customer service agent who is physically located in 
the United States.
            (d) Certification Requirement.--Each year, each business entity 
that participates in a customer service communication shall certify to 
the Federal Trade Commission that it has complied or failed to comply 
with the requirements of subsections

    (a) ,

    (b) , and
            (c) .

    (e) Regulations.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Federal Trade Commission shall promulgate 
such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of 
this section.

    (f) Effective Date.--The requirements of subsections

    (a) ,

    (b) ,
            (c) , 
and
            (d) shall apply with respect to customer service communications 
occurring on or after the date that is 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.

SEC. 202. ENFORCEMENT.

    (a) In General.--Any failure to comply with the provisions of 

section 201 shall be treated as a violation of a regulation under 

section 18

    (a)

    (1)
        (B) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 
57a

    (a)

    (1)
        (B) ) regarding unfair or deceptive acts or practices.

    (b) Powers of Federal Trade Commission.--

    (1) In general.--The Federal Trade Commission shall prevent 
 any person from violating 

section 201 and any regulation 
 promulgated thereunder, in the same manner, by the same means, 
 and with the same jurisdiction, powers, and duties as though 
 all applicable terms and provisions of the Federal Trade 
 Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.) were incorporated into 
 and made a part of this Act.

    (2) Penalties.--Any person who violates regulations 
 promulgated under 

section 201 shall be subject to the penalties 
 and entitled to the privileges and immunities provided in the 
 Federal Trade Commission Act in the same manner, by the same 
 means, and with the same jurisdiction, power, and duties as 
 though all applicable terms and provisions of the Federal Trade 
 Commission Act were incorporated into and made part of this 
 Act.
            (c) Authority Preserved.--Nothing in this section or 

section 201 
shall be construed to limit the authority of the Federal Trade 
Commission under any other provision of law.
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