93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2003 and 2004
HB6571

 

Introduced 2/6/2004, by Larry McKeon

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
815 ILCS 505/2QQ new

    Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Defines "call center" as "a physical or electronic operation that utilizes telecommunication services or electronic mail in one or more of the following activities: customer services; soliciting sales; reactivating dormant accounts; conducting surveys or research; collection of receivables; receiving reservations; receiving orders; or taking orders". Provides that a United States corporation, business entity, or other person or its subsidiary that utilizes a call center to receive telephone calls from individuals located in the State of Illinois shall require each call center that it utilizes to comply with the following requirements: an employee of the call center shall identify himself or herself by stating his or her name, the name of his or her employer, the location of the municipality, state, and country in which he or she is located, and, if applicable, the name and telephone number of a customer service representative of the entity utilizing the services of his or her employer; a telephone call to a call center located in a foreign country shall be rerouted to a call center located in the United States if such a request is made by the caller; an employee at a call center operating in a foreign country may not solicit any personal information, whether by telephone or by an electronic mail message, unless the employee first informs the caller that disclosing the information is optional and receives the affirmative consent of the caller to whom the information relates and, in the case of communication by telephone, an audio recording of the telephone call is made and retained; and an employee of a call center who responds to an electronic mail message from a person shall identify himself or herself by stating his or her name, the name of his or her employer, the location of the municipality, state, and country in which he or she is located, and, if applicable, the name and telephone number of a customer service representative of the entity utilizing the services of his or her employer. Provides that a violation is an unlawful practice within the meaning of the Act.


LRB093 20201 WGH 47118 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB6571 LRB093 20201 WGH 47118 b

1     AN ACT concerning business transactions.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business
5 Practices Act is amended by adding Section 2QQ as follows:
 
6     (815 ILCS 505/2QQ new)
7     Sec. 2QQ. Call centers.
8     (a) As used in this Section, "call center" means a physical
9 or electronic operation that utilizes telecommunication
10 services or electronic mail in one or more of the following
11 activities: customer services; soliciting sales; reactivating
12 dormant accounts; conducting surveys or research; collection
13 of receivables; receiving reservations; receiving orders; or
14 taking orders.
15     (b) This Section applies to a United States corporation,
16 business entity, or other person or its subsidiary that
17 utilizes a call center to receive telephone calls from
18 individuals located in the State of Illinois, regardless of
19 whether the United States corporation, business entity, or
20 other person owns the call center or contracts with another
21 person or entity to operate the call center. A United States
22 corporation, business entity, or other person or its subsidiary
23 to which this Section applies shall require each call center
24 that it utilizes to comply with the following requirements:
25         (1) Within the first 30 seconds of answering a
26     telephone call made by an individual located in the State
27     of Illinois to a call center, an employee at the call
28     center shall identify himself or herself by stating his or
29     her name; the name of his or her employer; the location of
30     the municipality, state, and country in which he or she is
31     located; and, if applicable, the name and telephone number
32     of a customer service representative of the entity

 

 

HB6571 - 2 - LRB093 20201 WGH 47118 b

1     utilizing the services of his or her employer.
2         (2) Any telephone call made by an individual located in
3     the State of Illinois to a call center located in a foreign
4     country shall be rerouted to a call center located in the
5     United States if such a request is made by the caller.
6         (3) An employee at a call center operating in a foreign
7     country may not solicit any personal information, whether
8     by telephone or by an electronic mail message, from an
9     individual located in the State of Illinois unless the
10     employee first informs the caller that disclosing that
11     information to the employee is optional, and receives the
12     affirmative consent of the caller to whom the information
13     relates. In the case of such communication by telephone, an
14     audio recording of that telephone call shall be made and
15     retained.
16         (4) An employee of a call center who responds to an
17     electronic mail message from an individual located in the
18     State of Illinois shall identify himself or herself by
19     stating his or her name; the name of his or her employer;
20     the location of the municipality, state, and country in
21     which he or she is located; and, if applicable, the name
22     and telephone number of a customer service representative
23     of the entity utilizing the services of his or her
24     employer.
25     (c) A United States corporation, business entity, or other
26 person or its subsidiary that violates this Section commits an
27 unlawful practice within the meaning of this Act.