Media Release from Kansas Attorney General

TOPEKA – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt today issued the following statement on passage by the House of Representatives of Senate Bill 308, which extends the Kansas No-Call Act to protect consumers’ cellphones from unwanted telemarketing calls: 

“The Legislature deserves credit for its pro-consumer action in passing this legislation. When the Kansas No-Call Act first became law more than a decade ago, cellphones were far less widely used. Today, many Kansans are abandoning landlines entirely and using only wireless numbers for telephone service. By updating and strengthening the Kansas No-Call Act, the Legislature is ensuring that Kansans’ privacy is protected and consumers can enjoy the same freedom from unwanted telemarketing calls on their cellphones that they now can expect on their landlines.”

The House of Representatives today approved the bill 117 to 0. The Senate earlier approved it 38 to 0. The legislation, proposed in January by Attorney General Schmidt and others, now goes to the Governor for his consideration.

“I appreciate the broad support from legislators and groups representing consumers and the telecommunications industry in securing unanimous approval of this bill,” Schmidt said.

Complaints about telemarketers violating the Kansas No-Call Act are the single largest group of complaints received by the attorney general’s Consumer Protection Division. During 2013, the attorney general filed 17 lawsuits to enforce the No-Call Act, and obtained $3.4 million in judgments as well as injunctions against violators.

To register a consumer cellphone or landline number on the do-not-call list, or for more information, go to the attorney general’s consumer protection website atwww.InYourCornerKansas.org or call (800) 432-2310.