Bill > H4334

This bill aims to increase transparency in telephone solicitations by requiring telephone solicitors to use a valid phone number that allows consumers to communicate directly with them, and by mandating that within the first minute of a sales call, before any payment is requested, solicitors must clearly state the purpose of the call (sale or fundraising), the name of the telemarketing company and the ultimate seller, and provide a complete description of the goods or services offered, including their retail market value. The bill also introduces penalties for solicitors who misrepresent themselves as certain professionals or members of organizations, and requires them to keep recordings of solicitation calls for at least 180 days, which can be audited by the attorney general's office, with violations potentially leading to civil penalties under chapter 93A. A "charitable organization" is defined as one registered under chapter 68, and "marketing or sales solicitation" is broadly defined to include calls encouraging purchases or investments, with specific exceptions for calls made with prior consent, by bona fide members of tax-exempt or charitable organizations without professional solicitors, for non-commercial purposes like polls, or in response to a consumer's visit to a business.