Bill passage adds cell phones to no-call list

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster expects that millions of Missourians will benefit from the May 15 passage of House Bill 1549, which allows individuals to add cell phone numbers to the state’s no-call list.
 
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, was passed unanimously by the Missouri General Assembly and now awaits Gov. Jay Nixon’s signature.
 
According to the attorney general’s Web site, there are more than 1.8 million residential Missouri phone lines registered on the state’s no-call list. If Nixon signs the bill, it will become law Aug. 28, and individuals will be able to add their cell numbers to the list.

Koster has repeatedly asked the legislature to pass a law expanding no-call protection to cell phones, according to a news release. Under the law, if a number is on the no-call list, telemarketers and other soliciting businesses cannot call it, with some exceptions. For example, the calls are allowed if the individual has given permission or extended an invitation for such calls; if the calling entity can show a current business relationship with the holder of the number; or if the call is for fundraising purposes, according to Koster’s Web site.
 
“Twelve years ago, passage of the no-call law saved the dinner hour in this state,” Koster said in the release.  “(The bill passage) will preserve the privacy of Missourians for a new technological era.”
 
Koster said the state routinely sues telemarketers to stop them from making calls to land lines, and collects fines and penalties from these businesses for violations. If the bill becomes law, that enforcement will extend to protect cell phone users.
 
Though cell phones cannot be registered until the bill is signed and takes effect, registration of land-line numbers is free and can be completed online or by calling (866) 289-9633.