Missouri will have its own telemarketing do not call list.
The Missouri House of Representative last week unanimously approved legislation authorizing the state to develop and maintain its own list of residents who do not want to receive telemarketing calls.
The legislation differs from the version passed by the Senate in March because the task of developing and maintaining the list is given to the Secretary of State's office instead of the Attorney General's office.
House Speaker Steve Gaw, a Democrat, explained shifting the task to the Secretary of State's office was only natural since telemarketers are required by law to register with that office in order to conduct business in the state.
The measure, originally introduced last January by Democrat State Senator Jerry Thomas Howard and overwhelmingly approved in March by the Senate, now goes to a conference committee to reconcile the differing versions into one unified bill for ratification by both chambers.
The legislation does, however, authorize the Attorney General's Office to prosecute telemarketers who call residents on the do-not-call list. Violators face civil penalties of up to $2,000 per violation. The measure also permits consumers on do-not-call lists to sue telemarketers for damages of up to $1,000 for each call they receive.
Other provisions in the previously approved Senate bill that the House did not change included a requirement that consumers pay $5 each to be placed on the do-not-call list and a prohibition against the blocking of telephone numbers from caller identification services and/or equipment.
