Offshore Call Center Bill Reintroduced In Congress

Congress recently reintroduced a bill titled United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act of 2016, which attempts to deter companies from employing offshore call collection centers.  

The bill would require a business that employs 50 or more call center employees to notify the Department of Labor at least 120 days before relocating such center outside of the United States.  Violations are subject to a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per day.   

The bill would also establish a list of all companies that move their call centers outside of the country.  Those companies would be ineligible for federal grants or federal guaranteed loans for five years after being added to the list, absent certain limited exceptions.  Call center representatives located outside of the U.S. would also be required to disclose their physical location to consumers at the beginning of each call.