Governor signs Griffo and Bores’ bipartisan telemarketing bill

New York State Sen. Joseph Griffo, a Republican from Rome, and Assemblyman Alex Bores, a Democrat from New York City, announced today that legislation they sponsored that would increase the maximum penalty on telemarketers has been signed into law by the governor.

The bill (S4617/A4465) would deter would-be violators of the Do Not Call Registry by increasing the fine per violation to $20,000 from $11,000. The legislation goes into effect immediately.

“I am pleased that the governor has signed this bill into law and thank Assemblyman Bores for his efforts to address this issue,” Sen. Griffo said. “It is my hope that this legislation will provide some much-needed relief to New Yorkers who are sick and tired of receiving bothersome, inconvenient and troublesome calls every day.” 

“This law is a victory for every New Yorker who would like to be able to pick up their phone in peace,” Assemblyman Bores said. “I am grateful for Senator Griffo and his team for ensuring this commonsense legislation, which received overwhelming bipartisan support in both houses, is now law.”

Sen. Griffo has continued to work to address the problem of unsolicited telemarketing and robocalls, including supporting a law requiring that telemarketers making live sales calls inform customers that they may request that their number be added to the seller's entity specific do-not-call list. He also has introduced legislation that would require telecommunications companies provide free call mitigation technology to their customers in order to stop fraudulent "spoofing" calls.

To register your phone number for the Do Not Call Registry, call 1-888-382-1222 or visit www.donotcall.gov, without expiration, unless the phone number is permanently disconnected and reassigned to a new consumer or you choose to remove it. Once registered, your telephone number remains on the registry.

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