Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton is expected within the next 30 days to sign legislation imposing new limits on telemarketers.
Only the discovery of a technical glitch in the measure, currently under review by the governor’s legal staff, would cause the governor to veto the bill, HB-47, according to spokesman Rusty Cheuvront.
The bill was sent to the governor Monday after the state House of Representatives unanimously ratified the Senate’s more restrictive version of the measure.
The Senate bill would limit the number of telemarketing calls that could be made to individual households in the state from charitable and nonprofit groups, political organizations and telecommunications companies without specific permission or the existence of a prior business relationship.
The final version of the measure also authorizes Kentucky residents to have their names placed on a “zero-call list,” a list of people who do not want to receive cold or unsolicited telemarketing calls. It would be maintained by the state attorney general’s office.
Also, the Senate bill ups the penalty for violators to $5,000 per incident. The House version had fewer limitations, and would have subjected errant telemarketers to misdemeanor penalties, fines of up to $500.
Attorney General Ben Chandler, who supports the legislation, said through spokeswoman Barbara Hadley Smith that his office is prepared to begin enforcing the new law as soon as it becomes effective, about 60 days after the governor signs it into law.
