Griffo & Bores: Bill targeting unwanted telemarketing calls passes Senate and Assembly

ALBANY – 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 introduced that would help alleviate unwanted telemarketing calls has now been passed by the Senate and Assembly.

The bill (S4617/A4465) would deter would-be violators of the Do Not Call Registry by increasing the fine per violation by almost double, which would encourage further compliance with the law. The fine would increase to $20,000 from $11,000.

“While the Do Not Call Registry has been an effective tool in curbing the number of unwanted calls, there are some who violate the law in the hopes of gaining business from unsuspecting participants,” Sen. Griffo said. “These bothersome and inconvenient telemarketing calls, which come at all hours of the day and night, are a major nuisance for many New Yorkers. I am hopeful that this bill will alleviate the number of unwanted calls that occur every day.”

“Too many telemarketers write off the current fines as the cost of doing business,” Assemblyman Bores said. “Today we say, enough is enough. By increasing the fines, we hope to discourage bad actors from ruining any more family dinners.”

Sen. Griffo and Assemblyman Bores have continued to work to address the problem of unsolicited telemarketing and robocalls.

Sen. Griffo has supported a law requiring 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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