HARRISBURG – Legislation to better protect Pennsylvanians from scammers and telemarketers, sponsored by Sen. Michele Brooks (R-50), was unanimously approved today by the Senate.
Senate Bill 992 updates the state’s outdated telemarketing law to give consumers stronger protections against unwanted and deceptive calls, including a prohibition against any telemarketing calls – including robocalls – being made on Sundays and between 7 p.m. and 9 a.m. on every other day of the week.
“This isn’t just about convenience; it’s about reclaiming those precious moments in our busy lives and helping to protect some of our most vulnerable citizens,” Brooks said. “It is my hope that by limiting calls between the hours of 7 p.m. through 9 a.m. it will allow for families to spend more quality time together without being subjected to relentless telemarketing calls.”
The legislation expands the law to cover text messages, voicemails and “ringless” voicemails – tools often used by telemarketers to evade existing restrictions. It also expands prohibitions for both telemarketers and the companies that hire them for illegal activity and prohibits the use of artificial intelligence or fake caller IDs to deceive or defraud consumers.
“This bill is about restoring some peace, privacy and additional protections in our personal time. We’ve all been frustrated by dishonest telemarketers and often overwhelmed by the volume of calls and texts received,” Brooks said. “This is why eliminating these calls on Sundays was especially important to me because for so many families, Sundays may be the only day of the week that they can be together to simply enjoy each other’s company.”
Senate Bill 992 also strengthens Do Not Call protections by closing loopholes that have allowed companies to trick people into being removed from the Do Not Call list without their permission.
“I want to thank Attorney General Dave Sunday for his input on developing this important legislation,” Brooks said.
Pennsylvania’s Do Not Call List is maintained by the Attorney General. Brooks encouraged everyone who doesn’t want to receive telemarketing calls to sign up online or by calling 888-777-3406. Anyone who registers for the Do Not Call List and still receives unsolicited telemarketing calls should file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection online or by calling 800-441-2555.
A violation of the law carries a civil penalty of up to $1,000 or $3,000 if the person contacted is age 60 or older.
The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.
CONTACT: Adam Gingrich