State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HB4546ham001

 










                                           LRB9214678WHcsam02

 1                    AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4546

 2        AMENDMENT NO.     .  Amend House Bill 4546  by  replacing
 3    everything after the enacting clause with the following:

 4        "Section  1.  Short  title.  This Act may be cited as the
 5    Restricted Call Registry Act.

 6        Section 5.  Definitions. As used in this Act:
 7        (a)  "Residential subscriber" means a  person  or  spouse
 8    who  has  subscribed  to either residential telephone service
 9    from a local exchange company or public mobile  services,  as
10    defined  by  Section  13-214  of  the Public Utilities Act, a
11    guardian  of  the  person  or  the  person's  spouse,  or  an
12    individual who has power of attorney from  or  an  authorized
13    agent of the person or the person's spouse.
14        (b)  "Established   business   relationship"   means  the
15    existence of  an  oral  or  written  arrangement,  agreement,
16    contract, or other legal state of affairs between a person or
17    entity and an existing customer under which both parties have
18    a  course  of  conduct or established pattern of activity for
19    commercial or mercantile purposes  and  for  the  benefit  or
20    profit  of  both  parties.  A  pattern  of  activity does not
21    necessarily mean multiple previous contacts. The  established
22    business   relationship   must  exist  between  the  existing
 
                            -2-            LRB9214678WHcsam02
 1    customer and the person or  entity  directly,  and  does  not
 2    extend  to  any  related  business  entity  or other business
 3    organization of the person or entity or related to the person
 4    or entity or the person or entity's agent including  but  not
 5    limited  to  a  parent  corporation,  subsidiary partnership,
 6    company or other corporation or affiliate.
 7        (c)  "Existing customer"  means  an  individual  who  has
 8    either:
 9             (1)  entered    into   a   transaction,   agreement,
10        contract, or other  legal  state  of  affairs  between  a
11        person or entity and a residential subscriber under which
12        the payment or exchange of consideration for any goods or
13        services  has  taken place within the preceding 18 months
14        or has been arranged to take place at a future time; or
15             (2)  opened or maintained a  debit  account,  credit
16        card  account,  or  other  revolving  credit  or discount
17        program offered by the  person  or  entity  and  has  not
18        requested  the  person or entity to close such account or
19        terminate such program.
20        (d)  "Registry"  means  the  Restricted   Call   Registry
21    established under this Act.
22        (e)  "Telephone    solicitation"    means    any    voice
23    communication  over  a  telephone  line from a live operator,
24    through the use of an autodialer  or  autodialer  system,  as
25    defined  in Section 5 of the Automatic Telephone Dialers Act,
26    or by other means for the purpose of encouraging the purchase
27    or rental of, or investment in, property, goods, or services,
28    or for the purposes of  soliciting  charitable  contributions
29    but does not include communications:
30             (1)  to   any   residential   subscriber  with  that
31        subscriber's prior express invitation or permission  when
32        a  voluntary  2-way  communication  between  a  person or
33        entity and a residential subscriber has occurred with  or
34        without   an  exchange  of  consideration.   A  telephone
 
                            -3-            LRB9214678WHcsam02
 1        solicitation is presumed not to be made  at  the  express
 2        request  of  a subscriber if one of the following occurs,
 3        as applicable:
 4                  (A)  The  telephone  solicitation  is  made  30
 5             business days after  the  last  date  on  which  the
 6             subscriber  contacted a business with the purpose of
 7             inquiring about the potential purchase of  goods  or
 8             services.
 9                  (B)  The  telephone  solicitation  is  made  30
10             business  days  after  the  last  date  on which the
11             subscriber consented to be contacted.
12                  (C)  The  telephone  solicitation  is  made  30
13             business days after a  product  or  service  becomes
14             available where the subscriber has made a request to
15             the business for that product or service that is not
16             then available, and requests a call when the product
17             or service becomes available;
18             (2)  by  or  on  behalf of any person or entity with
19        whom a residential subscriber has an established business
20        relationship which has not been terminated in writing  by
21        either party and which is related to the nature and scope
22        of the established business relationship;
23             (3)  by  or  on  behalf of any person or entity with
24        whom a residential subscriber is  an  existing  customer,
25        unless the customer has stated to the person or entity or
26        the  person  or  entity's  agent that he or she no longer
27        wishes to receive the telemarketing sales  calls  of  the
28        person  or  entity,  or  unless the nature of the call is
29        unrelated to the established business  relationship  with
30        the existing customer;
31             (4)  by  or  on  behalf  of  an organization that is
32        exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501  of
33        the Internal Revenue Code;
34             (5)  by  or  on  behalf  of  an  individual business
 
                            -4-            LRB9214678WHcsam02
 1        person or a small business  if  the  individual  business
 2        person  or small business employs no more than 20 full or
 3        part-time  employees  or  independent  contractors,   the
 4        individual  business  person  or a principal of the small
 5        business makes the telephone solicitation  calls  himself
 6        or  herself  for the sale of goods or services offered by
 7        that individual business person or  small  business,  and
 8        the  telephone solicitation calls are made to subscribers
 9        within a 50-mile radius of the location of the individual
10        business person or  small  business  and  the  individual
11        business person or small business either:
12                  (A)  is  setting or attempting to set a face to
13             face appointment for actions relating to that  small
14             business; or
15                  (B)  is  encouraging or attempting to encourage
16             the  purchase  or  rental  of,  or  investment   in,
17             property,   goods,  or  services,  which  cannot  be
18             completed, and for which payment or authorization of
19             payment is not required, until after  a  written  or
20             electronic  agreement  is  signed by the residential
21             subscriber; or
22             (6)  until July 1, 2005, by  or  on  behalf  of  any
23        entity  over  which the Federal Communications Commission
24        or  the  Illinois  Commerce  Commission  has   regulatory
25        authority  to the extent that, subject to that authority,
26        the entity is required to maintain a license, permit,  or
27        certificate   to   sell   or  provide  telecommunications
28        service, as defined  in  Section  13-203  of  the  Public
29        Utilities  Act,  while the entity is engaged in telephone
30        solicitation   for   inter-exchange    telecommunications
31        service,  as  defined  in  Section  13-205  of the Public
32        Utilities  Act,  or  local  exchange   telecommunications
33        service,  as  defined  in  Section  13-204  of the Public
34        Utilities Act.
 
                            -5-            LRB9214678WHcsam02
 1        Section 10.  Prohibited calls.
 2        (a)  Beginning July 1, 2003, no person or entity may make
 3    or cause to be made any telephone solicitation calls  to  any
 4    residential   subscriber   more   than   45  days  after  the
 5    residential subscriber's telephone number  or  numbers  first
 6    appear on the Registry.
 7        (b)  For  telephone solicitations permitted under Section
 8    5(e), the caller must ask the residential subscriber if he or
 9    she no longer wishes to receive telephone solicitation  calls
10    from  the  person  or  entity.  If the residential subscriber
11    states or otherwise indicates to the caller that  he  or  she
12    does  not wish to receive future telephone solicitations, the
13    caller shall follow the person  or  entity's  procedures  for
14    ensuring  that the residential subscriber receives no further
15    telephone solicitations from that person or  entity.  If  the
16    person  or entity making the telephone solicitation calls the
17    residential subscriber  thereafter,  such  person  or  entity
18    shall  be  subject to the penalties provided by Section 35 of
19    this Act.

20        Section 15.  Complaints. The Illinois Commerce Commission
21    shall  receive   telephone   solicitation   complaints   from
22    residential  subscribers  to object to such calls. Complaints
23    shall be  taken  by  any  means  deemed  appropriate  by  the
24    Illinois Commerce Commission.

25        Section 20.  Registry; establishment and maintenance.
26        (a)  The Illinois Commerce Commission shall establish and
27    provide  for  the  operation  of  a Restricted Call Registry,
28    which shall contain  a  list  of  the  telephone  numbers  of
29    residential  subscribers who do not wish to receive telephone
30    solicitation calls.  The  Illinois  Commerce  Commission  may
31    contract  with a private vendor to establish and maintain the
32    Registry if the contract requires the vendor to  provide  the
 
                            -6-            LRB9214678WHcsam02
 1    Registry  in  a  printed  hard  copy format, in an electronic
 2    format, and in any other format prescribed  by  the  Illinois
 3    Commerce   Commission.   Any   person  or  entity  conducting
 4    telephone solicitation calls as defined by  Section  5(e)  of
 5    this  Act  within  the  State  of Illinois shall purchase the
 6    Restricted Call Registry and  updates  exclusively  from  the
 7    Illinois  Commerce  Commission.  Failure  to  do  so prior to
 8    conducting  telephone  solicitation  calls  is  a   violation
 9    subject  to  the penalties provided for in Section 35 of this
10    Act.
11        (b)  No later than January 1, 2003, the Illinois Commerce
12    Commission shall adopt rules consistent with  this  Act  that
13    the   Illinois   Commerce   Commission  deems  necessary  and
14    appropriate to fully implement  this  Act.  The  rules  shall
15    include,  at a minimum, methods by which any person or entity
16    desiring to make  telephone  solicitation  calls  may  obtain
17    access to the Registry to avoid calling the telephone numbers
18    of residential subscribers included in the Registry.
19        (c)  The fee for obtaining the Registry and updates shall
20    be  set  forth  in  rules  adopted  by  the Illinois Commerce
21    Commission. The fee  may  not  exceed  $1,000  annually.  All
22    copies  requested  in  a  printed  hard  copy format shall be
23    assessed a per page fee to be determined by rules adopted  by
24    the Illinois Commerce Commission.
25        (d)  The  Illinois  Commerce  Commission shall update the
26    Registry and make information in the Registry available on  a
27    quarterly  basis  in  an  electronic  format  and,  if deemed
28    appropriate by the Illinois Commerce Commission,  in  one  or
29    more other formats.
30        (e)  If  the Federal Communications Commission or Federal
31    Trade Commission establishes a single  national  database  of
32    telephone  numbers  of  subscribers  who  object to receiving
33    telephone solicitations under Title 47, Section 227(c)(3)  of
34    the  United  States  Code,  this  State shall discontinue the
 
                            -7-            LRB9214678WHcsam02
 1    Registry.
 2        (f)  Information in  the  Registry  is  confidential  and
 3    shall  be  afforded  reasonable  privacy protection except as
 4    necessary for compliance with Sections 10  and  25  and  this
 5    Section  or in a proceeding or action under Section 35 or 40.
 6    The information is not a public record under the  Freedom  of
 7    Information Act.
 8        (g)  The  Illinois Commerce Commission shall periodically
 9    obtain subscription listings of  residential  subscribers  in
10    this  State  who have arranged to be included in any national
11    do-not-call list and add those names to the Registry.
12        (h)  A person or entity that obtains the  Registry  shall
13    not  use  the  Registry  for any purpose other than to comply
14    with this Act. These unlawful purposes include, but  are  not
15    limited  to,  causing  a  subscriber to participate in and be
16    included in the Registry without the  subscriber's  knowledge
17    or consent, selling or leasing the Registry to a person other
18    than a telephone solicitor, selling or leasing by a telephone
19    solicitor  of the Registry, and a telephone solicitor, either
20    directly or indirectly, persuading a subscriber with whom  it
21    has  an established business relationship to place his or her
22    telephone number in the Registry, if the solicitation has the
23    effect  of  preventing  competitors  from   contacting   that
24    solicitor's customers.
25        (i)  No  person  or entity that sells, leases, exchanges,
26    or rents telephone solicitation lists, except  for  directory
27    assistance   and  telephone  directories  sold  by  telephone
28    companies or their affiliates, shall include in  those  lists
29    those telephone numbers that appear in the current Registry.

30        Section 25.  Enrollment.
31        (a)  The   Illinois  Commerce  Commission  shall  provide
32    notice to residential subscribers of the establishment of the
33    Registry.
 
                            -8-            LRB9214678WHcsam02
 1        (b)  The Illinois Commerce Commission shall establish any
 2    method deemed appropriate for  a  residential  subscriber  to
 3    notify  the Illinois Commerce Commission that the residential
 4    subscriber wishes to be included in the Registry.
 5        (c)  The Commission may, by  rule,  set  an  initial  fee
 6    which  shall  not  exceed  $5  per  residential  customer for
 7    inclusion on the Restricted Call  Registry.   The  Commission
 8    shall  review the revenues and expenditures of the Restricted
 9    Call Registry on a biennial basis and shall, by rule,  reduce
10    the  fee  accordingly  if  revenues  exceed expenditures. The
11    Commission may  adopt  rules  and  procedures  governing  the
12    acceptance  of payment by credit card and may enter into such
13    agreements as necessary to accept payment by credit card.
14        (d)  A residential subscriber in the  Registry  shall  be
15    deleted  from  the Registry upon the residential subscriber's
16    written request.
17        (e)  Enrollment in the Registry  is  effective  from  the
18    start  of  the quarter following the date of enrollment until
19    the residential subscriber disconnects or changes his or  her
20    telephone  number  or submits a written request to be deleted
21    from the Registry, whichever occurs  first.  The  residential
22    subscriber is responsible for notifying the Illinois Commerce
23    Commission of any changes in his or her telephone number.

24        Section  30.  Public  notification. The Illinois Commerce
25    Commission shall work with local exchange  telecommunications
26    companies to disseminate to their customers information about
27    the   availability   of   and   instructions  for  requesting
28    educational literature from the Illinois Commerce Commission.
29    The Illinois Commerce Commission may  enter  into  agreements
30    with those companies for the dissemination of the educational
31    literature.  Telecommunications  companies  shall disseminate
32    the educational literature at least once per year in  both  a
33    message  contained  in  customers'  bills and a notice in the
 
                            -9-            LRB9214678WHcsam02
 1    information section of all telephone directories  distributed
 2    to customers and shall include on their website a link to the
 3    ICC's  web  page  for  the  Registry.  The  Illinois Commerce
 4    Commission  shall  include,  on  its   Internet   web   site,
 5    information to customers regarding their right to be included
 6    in  the Registry and the various methods, including notice to
 7    the Illinois Commerce Commission, of being  included  in  the
 8    Registry.  The  Illinois  Commerce Commission shall have this
 9    literature developed for dissemination to the public no later
10    than March 1, 2003.

11        Section 35.  Violation; relief.
12        (a)  The  Illinois  Commerce  Commission   may   initiate
13    administrative  proceedings  in accordance with rules adopted
14    under this Act relating to a knowing and willful violation of
15    Section 10.
16        (b)  If it is determined after a hearing  that  a  person
17    has  knowingly  and willfully violated one or more provisions
18    of this Section, the Illinois Commerce Commission may  assess
19    a  fine  not  to  exceed  $2,500  for  each  violation.  Each
20    individual  violation  of  Section  10 of this Act shall be a
21    separate  and  distinct  offense  under  this  Section.    In
22    imposing  a penalty under this Section, the Commission shall,
23    at a minimum, consider the following factors:
24             (1)  whether the offense was knowing or willful;
25             (2)  whether the entity committing the offense has a
26        prior history of non-compliance with this Act;
27             (3)  the  offender's  relative  ability  to  pay   a
28        penalty;
29             (4)  whether  the offender has or has not cooperated
30        with the Commission in pursuing the investigation; and
31             (5)  such other special, mitigating  or  aggravating
32        circumstances as the Commission may find to exist.
33        (c)  Any  proceeding  conducted  under  this  Section  is
 
                            -10-           LRB9214678WHcsam02
 1    subject to the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act.
 2        (d)  Nothing in this Section may be construed to restrict
 3    any  right that any person may have under any other law or at
 4    common law.
 5        (e)  No action or proceeding may be  brought  under  this
 6    Section:
 7             (1)  more  than  one  year after the person bringing
 8        the action knew or should have known of the occurrence of
 9        the alleged violation; or
10             (2)  more than one year after the termination of any
11        proceeding or action arising out of the same violation or
12        violations by the State of Illinois, whichever is later.
13        (f)  The remedies, duties, prohibitions, and penalties in
14    this Act are not exclusive and are in addition to  all  other
15    causes of action, remedies, and penalties provided by law.
16        (g)  There  is  created  in  the State Treasury a special
17    fund to be known as the Restricted Call  Registry  Fund.  All
18    fees   and   fines   collected   in  the  administration  and
19    enforcement of this Act shall be  deposited  into  the  Fund.
20    Moneys  in  the Fund shall, subject to appropriation, be used
21    by  the  Illinois  Commerce  Commission  for  implementation,
22    administration, and enforcement of this Act.

23        Section 40.  Exemption. A person or  entity  may  not  be
24    held liable for violating this Act if:
25             (1)  the person or entity has obtained copies of the
26        Registry  and  each  updated  Registry  from the Illinois
27        Commerce Commission and has established  and  implemented
28        written   policies   and   procedures   related   to  the
29        requirements of this Act;
30             (2)  the person or entity has trained its  personnel
31        in the requirements of this Act;
32             (3)  the   person   or   entity   maintains  records
33        demonstrating compliance with subdivisions (1) and (2) of
 
                            -11-           LRB9214678WHcsam02
 1        this Section and the requirements of this Act; and
 2             (4)  any subsequent telephone  solicitation  is  the
 3        result of unintentional error.

 4        Section  90.  The  State Finance Act is amended by adding
 5    Section 5.570 as follows:

 6        (30 ILCS 105/5.570 new)
 7        Sec. 5.570.  The Restricted Call Registry Fund.

 8        Section 99. Effective date. This Act  takes  effect  upon
 9    becoming law.".

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