(Juneau) - Alaskans may soon be able to file a complaint with a local official if their name is on the National No-Call List and they receive a telemarketer's call. The revised version of House Bill 15, sponsored by Representative Hugh Fate (R-Fairbanks), passed the House today by a 35 to 1 vote.

Representative Fate, originally introduced HB 15 in the Alaska Legislature to give residents some peace and quiet from telemarketers when they are home during the evening. That version would have established an in-state no-call list. Because of the passage of H.R. 395 in Congress, it was no longer necessary to create that list just for Alaska. The Committee Substitute for HB 15 amended allows the Department of Law to register telemarketers, and enforce violations for intrastate organizations and works with the federal government to enforce national violations that take place in Alaska. The language is necessary since Federal agencies are only allowed to oversee interstate telemarketing companies.

Not only will personal home phones be affected, but businesses registered on the National Do-Not-Call list are also included. Other language in the bill protects consumers from fraud, as a written contract must be signed before a purchase is complete and binding. The consumer will also have seven days to return a purchase, and receive a credit or refund if the item is defective, or not as represented.

CSHB 15 now awaits action in the Senate.

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