Keep Call Centers in America Act: What It Means for CX

Written by: Matt Beucler, CEO, Plura AI

Key Takeaways for Contact Center and CX Leaders

• The Keep Call Centers in America Act (S.2495/H.R.4954) would require location disclosure, immediate transfer to U.S. agents, AI transparency, and a DOL list that affects federal funding eligibility for offshore operators.
• Businesses using offshore agents or AI for customer service would need to disclose agent location or AI use at the start of every interaction and honor requests for U.S.-based human agents without delay.
• As of June 2026, both the Senate and House bills remain in committee with no scheduled votes, while a parallel FCC NPRM and multiple state laws already impose similar requirements on covered entities.
• The Act applies broadly to any business operating customer service call centers of a specified size, while the FCC proposal applies to a narrower group of FCC-regulated communications providers.
• Plura AI runs AI conversations on U.S.-based infrastructure that supports compliance with onshoring and disclosure rules, and you can start a conversation with Plura today to see how compliant AI can improve your customer experience.

Core Requirements in the Keep Call Centers in America Act

S.2495, introduced in the 119th Congress on July 29, 2025, by Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), would require businesses to make U.S.-based human customer service agents available to consumers.² At the start of any customer service communication, the business must disclose whether the agent is located outside the United States.

If the agent is overseas, the business must offer the consumer an immediate transfer to a U.S.-based agent. The consumer’s request for that transfer must be honored without delay.

For AI-driven interactions, the bill would require businesses to disclose that a nonhuman AI or machine is handling the communication. Consumers must be given the option to request an immediate transfer to a U.S.-based human agent at any point during that interaction.

The bill would also direct the Department of Labor to maintain a public list of businesses operating call centers of a specified size that relocate operations overseas or contract call center work to offshore vendors.² Businesses appearing on that list would generally be ineligible for federal grants or federally guaranteed loans.

Current Status of the Federal Bill as of June 2026

S.2495 was introduced in the Senate on July 29, 2025, read twice, and referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. No further legislative actions have been recorded beyond that referral.

H.R.4954, the companion House bill introduced by Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI-8) on August 12, 2025, was referred to the House Committees on Energy and Commerce, Education and Workforce, Oversight and Government Reform, and Armed Services. Its status remains Introduced, with no further recorded actions.

Neither chamber has scheduled a floor vote. Operators and counsel should monitor Congress.gov for updates, as committee activity can advance quickly once a related regulatory action creates political momentum. Understanding which businesses would fall under the Act’s requirements helps leaders gauge exposure if the bill advances.

Compare Plura’s plans and rates side by side to find the right fit for your operation.

Businesses and Operations Covered by the Act

The bill’s text applies to businesses that operate customer service call centers and either use offshore agents or deploy AI for customer service communications. The Department of Labor list provision focuses on businesses operating call centers of a specified size that relocate or contract operations overseas.

The bill does not restrict its scope to FCC-regulated entities. Unlike the FCC’s March 2026 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which applies specifically to telecommunications carriers, VoIP providers, cable operators, satellite broadcasters, and their affiliates, the Keep Call Centers in America Act would reach a broader set of businesses if enacted. Operators should review the full statutory text at Congress.gov and consult qualified counsel to assess applicability to their specific operations.

How the Act Relates to the FCC NPRM and State Onshoring Laws

The Keep Call Centers in America Act sits alongside a parallel set of regulatory actions that collectively shape the current U.S. onshoring framework. The table below summarizes verifiable differences between the Act, the FCC NPRM, and selected state statutes based on publicly available primary sources.

Instrument	Scope of Covered Entities	Key Mandates	Enforcement Mechanism
S.2495 / H.R.4954 (bill, not yet law)	Businesses operating customer service call centers of specified size	Location disclosure, transfer right, AI disclosure, DOL ineligibility list	Federal grant and loan ineligibility via DOL list
FCC NPRM CG Docket No. 26-52 (proposed rule)	FCC-regulated communications providers	30% offshore cap (proposed), location disclosure, transfer right, sensitive-data U.S.-only handling, English proficiency standard	FCC enforcement authority under Communications Act Sections 201(b) and 222
New York Call Center Jobs Act	Businesses with 50+ employees relocating 30+ jobs offshore	Advance notice to DOL, public list, state contract ineligibility	Civil penalties up to $10,000 per day

The FCC NPRM applies to a narrower set of entities than the congressional bill, while the Keep Call Centers in America Act would require congressional passage for broader nationwide coverage. The FCC’s March 2026 draft NPRM also proposes extending requirements to non-voice channels including online chat, text, and email, and seeks comment on applying location disclosure and transfer rights to all TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act, 47 U.S.C. § 227) covered calls.^1,2 The FCC cited data showing that nearly 70 percent of U.S. companies outsource at least one department, which illustrates the scale of the regulatory shift underway.³

State laws add a third layer. New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Missouri, and Florida each carry active onshoring or sensitive-data restriction statutes. As of June 2026, five U.S. states carry active onshoring or sensitive-data restriction statutes that parallel elements of the federal bill.² Operators with multi-state footprints should review each statute directly and consult qualified counsel on applicability.

Step-by-Step Compliance Review Checklist

The following steps are neutral review items and describe a structured way to assess exposure. They do not constitute legal advice. Operators should consult qualified counsel before drawing conclusions about their specific obligations.

• Identify all customer service channels (voice, SMS, chat, email) and map whether any involve offshore agents or AI-driven interactions. This inventory forms the foundation for the remaining steps.
• With that channel map in hand, review the full text of S.2495 and H.R.4954 to assess whether your operation falls within the bill’s defined scope based on your channels and agent locations.
• Separately, review the FCC NPRM CG Docket No. 26-52 to determine whether your entity qualifies as a covered provider under the proposed rule, which applies a narrower scope than the congressional bill.
• Audit existing vendor contracts for offshore data-handling provisions, particularly for sensitive consumer data such as passwords, Social Security numbers, and financial account information, so you understand where data leaves U.S. control.
• Assess current disclosure practices at the start of customer service interactions for agent location and AI use, and compare those practices to the bill’s disclosure concepts.
• Evaluate whether your operation has a documented process for transferring consumers to U.S.-based human agents upon request, and identify any gaps in staffing or routing logic.
• Review state-level statutes in each state where you operate for onshoring notice, public-list, and sensitive-data requirements, aligning them with your channel and vendor map.
• Set a calendar reminder to monitor Congress.gov and the Federal Register for bill advancement and NPRM finalization, so leadership receives early warning of binding changes.

Review Plura’s pricing options to see how U.S.-based AI infrastructure fits your compliance roadmap.

AI Call Centers and the Keep Call Centers in America Act

S.2495 explicitly addresses AI-driven customer service interactions, requiring disclosure that a nonhuman AI or machine is handling the communication and granting consumers the right to transfer to a U.S.-based human agent. Plura AI is an example of an FCC-licensed platform that runs AI voice, SMS, RCS (Rich Communication Services), and webchat conversations on 100% U.S. infrastructure by architecture, which positions it within the domestic-handling framework the Act and the FCC NPRM are designed to incentivize. Operators considering AI-driven customer service should review the bill’s AI disclosure and transfer-right provisions with qualified counsel to assess how those requirements apply to their specific deployment.

Explore Plura’s AI pricing to see how compliant infrastructure scales with your contact center.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How does the Keep Call Centers in America Act differ from the FCC NPRM on offshore call centers?

The Keep Call Centers in America Act (S.2495/H.R.4954) is a congressional bill that, if enacted, would apply to a broad set of businesses operating customer service call centers. It has not passed into law as of June 2026. The FCC NPRM (CG Docket No. 26-52) is a proposed rulemaking issued by the Federal Communications Commission in March 2026. It applies specifically to FCC-regulated entities: telecommunications carriers, commercial mobile radio service providers, interconnected VoIP providers, cable operators, direct broadcast satellite providers, and their affiliates.

The FCC can finalize its NPRM through its own rulemaking process without requiring a congressional vote, which is why some industry observers note the NPRM carries more immediate enforcement potential for covered providers. The two instruments share overlapping mandates, including location disclosure and consumer transfer rights, but differ in scope, enforcement mechanism, and the path to becoming binding law.

Does the Keep Call Centers in America Act apply to businesses that use AI for customer service?

Yes. S.2495 explicitly addresses AI-driven customer service. Under the bill’s text, businesses using artificial intelligence for customer service communications must disclose that a nonhuman AI or machine is handling the interaction and must allow consumers to request an immediate transfer to a U.S.-based human agent. This provision applies regardless of whether the AI system is operated domestically or offshore.

Operators deploying AI in customer service workflows should review the bill’s specific language at Congress.gov and consult qualified counsel to assess how the disclosure and transfer-right provisions apply to their deployment model.

What happens to a business that appears on the Department of Labor list under the Keep Call Centers in America Act?

Under S.2495, the Department of Labor would maintain a public list of businesses operating call centers of a specified size that relocate operations overseas or contract call center work to offshore vendors. Businesses appearing on that list would generally be ineligible for federal grants or federally guaranteed loans. The bill does not specify monetary fines as a primary enforcement mechanism; the primary consequence is federal funding ineligibility.

Operators with federal grant or loan relationships should review the bill’s list criteria carefully with qualified counsel, because the DOL list provision creates a direct financial exposure tied to offshore contracting decisions.

Which states already have laws that parallel the Keep Call Centers in America Act?

As of June 2026, five U.S. states carry active onshoring or sensitive-data restriction statutes that parallel elements of the federal bill. New York’s Call Center Jobs Act requires advance notice to the state Department of Labor when businesses relocate a call center or more than thirty percent of its employees offshore and imposes civil penalties up to $10,000 per day for non-compliance. New Jersey has enacted a mirror statute. Connecticut restricts offshore handling through state contract bans. Missouri issued an executive order requiring offshore disclosure. Florida restricts the offshore handling of medical information.

Each statute has its own scope, threshold, and enforcement mechanism. Operators with multi-state footprints should review each state’s primary statutory text and consult qualified counsel on applicability.

How can contact center operators prepare for the Keep Call Centers in America Act before it becomes law?

Because the bill remains in committee as of June 2026, no legal obligation has attached under this specific statute. Preparation at this stage functions as a risk-management exercise, not a compliance deadline. Operators can take several neutral steps: map all customer service channels and identify which involve offshore agents or AI interactions, audit vendor contracts for offshore data-handling provisions, assess current disclosure practices at the start of customer service communications, evaluate whether a documented process exists for transferring consumers to U.S.-based human agents, and review the parallel FCC NPRM and applicable state statutes for any obligations that are already in effect or closer to finalization.

Monitoring Congress.gov for committee activity and the Federal Register for NPRM finalization provides a direct way to track when binding obligations may attach. All of these steps should be taken in consultation with qualified legal counsel.

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