A new federal bill aims to increase transparency in customer service and bring more contact center work back onshore. If it becomes law, expect mandatory agent/AI disclosures, a required path to U.S.-based human support, federal reporting, and potential penalties tied to offshoring. Costs will rise for offshore-heavy models—but modern, agentic AI can offset much of the impact by automating routine interactions (30% in 30 days, 60%+ in a year) and reserving human talent for complex, high-value work.
A proposed “Keep Call Centers in America” Act is making its way through Congress. While previous versions (2011, 2017) didn’t cross the finish line, the 2025 context is different: AI is far more capable, leaders are rethinking service quality and transparency, and policymakers are paying close attention to both. Even if the bill evolves, the direction of travel is clear—more transparency, more onshore options, and smarter use of AI.
Senate: Introduced to the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on July 29, 2025 (Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-AZ; Sen. Jim Justice, R-WV).
House: A similar bill was introduced on August 12, 2025 (Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-MI; Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-PA).
What’s next: Committee review/markup → floor votes → reconciliation → presidential signature.
Timing: Realistically 12–24 months from introduction to effective requirements (if passed), with ~1 year implementation window after enactment.
Bottom line: Many bills stall in committee—but this one is consequential enough that CX leaders should scenario-plan now.
Agent location disclosure: Agents must clearly state the country they are working from in their introduction.
AI disclosure: AI assistants must identify themselves (no “pretend humans”).
U.S. human opt-out: Customers must have an option to reach a U.S.-based human.
Operational implications: You’ll need systems that can (a) detect agent location in real time across channels, (b) surface compliant scripts everywhere (voice, chat, messaging, social), and (c) route escalations to U.S. agents on demand.
Mandatory reporting to DOL within ~1 year: disclose U.S. vs. offshore staffing and track job losses due to offshoring and/or AI.
120-day advance notice to DOL before moving call center work offshore.
Public registry: companies that offshore above defined thresholds can appear on a DOL list.
Put on blacklist: Ineligibility for new federal loans/grants for 5 years; exposure to penalties/clawbacks on existing awards.
Federal contracts: All call-center work must be U.S.-based for federal contracts; preference against vendors on the registry.
Financial penalties: A monthly penalty tied to loans/grants (up to 8.3% referenced in current materials), plus civil penalties for failing to register or certify compliance.
Important nuance: If your program is served by a dedicated, U.S.-based team (even if your BPO operates globally), you should be in a stronger compliance position—though you’ll still face reporting and disclosure requirements.
The impact spans both captive in-house centers and outsourced programs. On the captive side, banks (fraud/servicing), airlines (reaccom/baggage), retailers (orders/returns), and insurers (claims/policy) will need new disclosures, routing, and reporting across voice, chat, and messaging. For outsourced operations that lean on offshore scale, telecom, marketplaces, and travel/hospitality must plan for U.S.-agent opt-outs and potential funding/contracting implications. Less obvious but affected lines include healthcare access (scheduling/refills), SaaS/help desks, and utilities (outage lines), where high-volume triage is common. And beyond front-line agents, shared back-office dependencies—billing, claims, logistics, and QA—often live in the same hubs, so changes can ripple into staffing, SLAs, and escalation playbooks even when roles aren’t strictly “customer-facing.”
Without AI, shifting offshore work to the U.S. could double labor costs overnight. But modern agentic AI changes the equation—automating a large share of routine contacts and reducing the number of agents required.
With the right data and integrations, companies can cut contact volumes nearly in half within a year, bringing overall costs back in line and often below pre-AI levels.
Key principle: AI doesn’t replace humans—it reassigns humans to the complex, variable, judgment-heavy interactions where they have the highest impact on CSAT, NPS, and brand trust.
1. Be transparent about agent location. Start every interaction with a clear intro—“Hi, this is Maya calling from the United States”—or a one-time chat banner like, “You’re chatting with Alex in Canada.” Bake this into scripts, macros, and widgets so it’s automatic.
2. Always disclose when it’s AI. Bots should introduce themselves—“I’m VIPdesk’s AI assistant”—and carry a visible “AI” tag in the chat header or avatar. Update greetings and labels consistently across all channels.
3. Guarantee a path to a U.S. human. Give customers an explicit option (“Say ‘U.S. agent’ or press 0”), route them to a dedicated queue, and log opt-outs. After hours, offer callbacks or tickets so U.S. agents follow up the next business day
Option: “Say ‘U.S. agent’ or press 0.”
Queue: Dedicated US_AGENT with SLA + opt-out log.
After-hours: Callback or ticket to U.S. agent next day.
Start by modeling the “cost-double” scenario: what it would take to migrate all offshore volume fully onshore without AI. That baseline shows the worst-case cost. Then layer in realistic AI adoption (30% in 30 days; 60%+ in a year) to project your steady state. At the same time, lock in your U.S. escalation plan so IVR, chat, and messaging can route customers directly to U.S.-based humans, and adjust workforce planning for the added escalations triggered by the opt-out rule.
Next, get technology- and knowledge-ready. Ensure agent location detection, standardized disclosure scripts, and CRM/CCaaS systems that support routing, queue messaging, after-hours handling, and full audit trails. Centralize policies and procedures, prioritize high-volume intents like refunds, order status, or shipping changes, and enable secure APIs so AI can take action—not just provide information.
Finally, adopt AI boldly but carefully. Start with high-confidence workflows to capture early wins, track metrics like containment, CSAT, and escalation quality, and make sure handoffs feel seamless. When selecting partners, favor U.S.-based providers with proven AI results and demand measurable outcomes—automation gains, CSAT improvements, and reduced escalations.
For 25+ years, VIPdesk has prioritized U.S.-based support. Ten years ago, we doubled down on that path—not because offshore talent isn’t capable, but because our clients prize trust, quality, and complexity handling.
We used AI to scale capacity without sacrificing care:
Owlet Case Study: Read full study here
~50% of contacts automated overnight (e.g., password resets, order status, warranty checks).
CSAT held steady through implementation, then rose—no “bot dip.”
Escalations were cut in half as routine friction disappeared.
Our take: If the bill passes, the advantage shifts to U.S.-based + AI-enabled providers who can meet transparency rules and deliver measurable efficiency.
Even if the bill changes—or stalls—the market is already moving: transparent CX and agentic AI are becoming the standard. Teams who prepare now will enjoy smoother compliance, better customer trust, and more favorable unit economics.