The Massachusetts House of Representatives has passed a bill to create a telemarketing do-not-call list program for the state.
House Bill 234, sponsored by Democrat William Straus, authorizes the Secretary of State’s office to develop and maintain the list, which would go into effect on Jan. 1.
It would permit Massachusetts residents to place their names on the list without charge. Telemarketers, however, would be required to purchase a copy of the list at a fee yet to be determined.
The bill now goes to the Senate for approval.
If the state Senate approves the bill by next Wednesday, July 31, when the current legislative session is scheduled to end, Gov. Jane Swift could sign it into law by mid-August.
The only thing that could hold up the bill’s passage is if the Senate changes the time limit on telemarketing calls in the House bill. Under the House measure, telemarketing calls would be allowed between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. Some senators want to change the cutoff time to 8 p.m.
Any change made by the Senate would send the measure back to the House for a ratification vote.
Before approving the bill 148 to 0, the House made several changes in it. One was dropping a planned $5 charge to place a name on the list. Another change eliminated a provision that would allow telemarketers in business less than a year to call people on the list, and a third would permit telemarketers to call previous customers on the list for a period of up to two years.
The penalty section of the bill was not changed. Telemarketers calling people on the list could face civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation.
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