No Call Law Could Expand To Cell Phones

The Kansas Senate has given first-round approval to a bill adding cellphone numbers to the state’s no call law for telephone solicitors.

The measure proposed by Attorney General Derek Schmidt advanced Wednesday on a voice vote. Approval on a second vote expected Thursday would send the bill to the House.

Kansas enacted the no call statute in 2002 to protect residents from unwanted telemarketing calls. People add their numbers to a list maintained by the Federal Trade Commission.

The attorney general can pursue complaints about solicitations made via landline phones but has no authority over calls made to cellphones. The bill would create that authority.

During Senate debate, Hiawatha Republican Dennis Pyle questioned having Kansans use a list maintained by the federal government.