SECOND REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 963
90TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR KENNEY.
Read 1st time February 3, 2000, and 1,000 copies ordered printed.
TERRY L. SPIELER, Secretary.
3592S.02I
AN ACT
To repeal section 407.020, RSMo Supp. 1999, relating to telemarketing practices, and to enact in lieu thereof nine new sections relating to the same subject.
Section A. Section 407.020, RSMo Supp. 1999, is repealed and nine new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 407.020, 407.1070, 407.1073, 407.1076, 407.1079, 407.1082, 407.1085, 407.1088 and 407.1089, to read as follows:
407.020. 1. The act, use or employment by any person of any deception, fraud, false pretense, false promise, misrepresentation, unfair practice or the concealment, suppression, or omission of any material fact in connection with the sale or advertisement of any merchandise in trade or commerce or the solicitation of any funds for any charitable purpose, as defined in section 407.453, in or from the state of Missouri, is declared to be an unlawful practice. The use by any person, in connection with the sale or advertisement of any merchandise in trade or commerce or the solicitation of any funds for any charitable purpose, as defined in section 407.453, in or from the state of Missouri of the fact that the attorney general has approved any filing required by this chapter as the approval, sanction or endorsement of any activity, project or action of such person, is declared to be an unlawful practice. Any act, use or employment declared unlawful by this subsection violates this subsection whether committed before, during or after the sale, advertisement or solicitation.
2. Nothing contained in this section shall apply to:
(1) The owner or publisher of any newspaper, magazine, publication or printed matter wherein such advertisement appears, or the owner or operator of a radio or television station which disseminates such advertisement when the owner, publisher or operator has no knowledge of the intent, design or purpose of the advertiser; or
(2) Any institution or company that is under the direction and supervision of the director of the department of insurance, director of the division of credit unions, or director of the division of finance, unless the directors of such divisions specifically authorize the attorney general to implement the powers of this chapter or such powers are provided to either the attorney general or a private citizen by statute.
3. Any person who willfully and knowingly engages in any act, use, employment or practice declared to be unlawful by this section with the intent to defraud shall be guilty of a class D felony.
4. It shall be the duty of each prosecuting attorney and circuit attorney in their respective jurisdictions to commence any criminal actions under this section, and the attorney general shall have concurrent original jurisdiction to commence such criminal actions throughout the state where such violations have occurred.
5. It shall be an unlawful practice for any long-term care facility, as defined in section 660.600, RSMo, except a facility which is a residential care facility I or a residential care facility II, as defined in section 198.006, RSMo, which makes, either orally or in writing representation to residents, prospective residents, their families or representatives, regarding the quality of care provided, or systems or methods utilized for assurance or maintenance of standards of care, to refuse to provide copies of documents which reflect the facility's evaluation of the quality of care, except that the facility may remove information that would allow identification of any resident. If the facility is requested to provide any copies, a reasonable amount, as established by departmental rule, may be charged.
6. Any long-term care facility, as defined in section 660.600, RSMo, which commits an unlawful practice under this section shall be liable for damages in a civil action of up to one thousand dollars for each violation, and attorney's fees and costs incurred by a prevailing plaintiff, as allowed by the circuit court.
407.1070. As used in sections 407.1070 to 407.1085, the following terms shall mean:
(1) "Advertisement", as defined in section 407.010, RSMo;
(2) "Consumer", a natural person who purchases, may purchase or is solicited for purchase of merchandise or an investment opportunity by a telemarketer through telemarketing;
(3) "Established business relationship", a prior or existing relationship formed by a voluntary two-way communication between a seller or telemarketer and a consumer with or without an exchange of consideration, on the basis of an inquiry, application, purchase or transaction by the consumer regarding products or services offered by such seller or telemarketer, which relationship has not been previously terminated by either party;
(4) "Fictitious name", any name, other than the legal name, used by a seller or telemarketer;
(5) "Investment opportunity", anything tangible or intangible that is offered for sale, sold or traded based wholly or in part on representations, either express or implied, about past, present or future income, profit or appreciation;
(6) "Material aspect or element", any factor likely to significantly influence the consumer's choice of, or conduct regarding, merchandise;
(7) "Prize", anything offered or purportedly offered or given or purportedly given to a consumer by chance. For purposes of this definition, chance exists if a consumer is guaranteed to receive anything of value and, at the time of the offer or purported offer, the telemarketer does not identify the specific item that the consumer will receive;
(8) "Promptly", immediately at the beginning of any call initiated by a telemarketer to a consumer;
(9) "Seller", any person who, in connection with a telemarketing transaction, provides, offers to provide, or arranges for others to provide merchandise to the consumer in exchange for consideration;
(10) "Subscriber", a person or business entity who has subscribed to the data base described in section 407.1088;
(11) "Telemarketing", a plan, program or campaign which is conducted to induce the purchase or lease of merchandise by use of one or more telephones and which involves more than one telephone call;
(12) "Telemarketer", any person who, in connection with telemarketing, initiates or receives telephone calls to or from a consumer. A telemarketer includes, but is not limited to, any such person that is an owner, operator, officer, director or partner to the management activities of a business.
407.1073. 1. A telemarketer shall disclose, promptly and in a clear and conspicuous manner, to the consumer receiving the telephone call the following:
(1) That the purpose of the telephone call is to make a sale;
(2) The telemarketer's identifiable name and the seller on whose behalf the solicitation is being made;
(3) The nature of the merchandise or investment opportunity being sold; and
(4) That no purchase or payment is necessary to be able to win a prize or participate in a prize promotion if a prize promotion is offered. This disclosure must be made before or in conjunction with the description of the prize to the consumer called.
2. Before a consumer pays for merchandise offered for sale through telemarketing, the telemarketer shall disclose, in a clear and conspicuous manner, the following:
(1) The seller or telemarketer's identifiable name and the address or telephone number where the seller or telemarketer can be reached;
(2) The total cost and quantity of the merchandise that is the subject of the telemarketing sales call;
(3) Any material restriction, limitation or condition to purchase, receive or use the merchandise that is the subject of a telemarketing sales call;
(4) Any material aspect of the nature or terms of the refund, cancellation, exchange or repurchase policies, including the absence of such policies;
(5) Any material aspect of an investment opportunity being offered, including benefits, the price of the land or other investment, and the location of the investment;
(6) Any material elements of a prize promotion, including:
(a) A description of the prize;
(b) Its market value;
(c) All material conditions to receive or redeem the prize;
(d) The actual number of each prize to be awarded;
(e) The odds of being able to receive the prize and, if the odds are not calculable in advance, the factors and methods used in calculating the odds and the maximum number of opportunities to enter the prize promotion that are to be offered;
(f) That no purchase or payment of any kind is required to win a prize or to participate in a prize promotion;
(g) The no-purchase or no-payment method of participating in the prize promotion, with either instructions on how to participate or an address or local or toll-free telephone number to which consumers may write or call for information on how to participate. If requested by the consumer, the telemarketer shall disclose the no-purchase or no-payment method of participating in the prize promotion; and
(h) The date by which the prize will be awarded.
3. A telemarketer may not misrepresent any material aspect of the performance, quality, efficacy, nature or basic characteristics of merchandise that is the subject of a telemarketing sales call.
407.1076. It is an unlawful telemarketing act or practice for any seller or telemarketer to engage in the following conduct:
(1) Omit or misrepresent any material fact required pursuant to section 407.1073;
(2) Threaten, intimidate or use profane or obscene language;
(3) Cause the telephone to ring or engage any consumer in telephone conversation, repeatedly or continuously in a manner a reasonable consumer would deem to be annoying, abusive or harassing;
(4) Knowingly and willfully initiate a telemarketing call to a consumer, or transfer or make available to others for telemarketing purposes a consumer's telephone number when that consumer has stated previously that he or she does not wish to receive solicitation calls by or on behalf of the seller unless such request has been rescinded;
(5) Engage in telemarketing to a consumer's residence at any time other than between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. local time, at the called consumer's location;
(6) Request or receive payment in advance to remove derogatory information from or improve a consumer's credit history, credit record or credit rating;
(7) Request or receive payment in advance from a consumer, to recover or otherwise aid in the return of money or any other item lost by the consumer in a prior telemarketing transaction, except that this provision shall not apply to services provided by a licensed attorney;
(8) Obtain or submit for payment a check, draft or other form of negotiable paper drawn on a consumer's checking, savings, share or similar account without the consumer's express written or oral authorization. Such authorization shall be deemed verifiable if any of the following means are employed:
(a) Express written authorization by the consumer, which may include the consumer's signature on the negotiable instrument;
(b) Express oral authorization which is tape recorded and made available upon request to the consumer's bank and which evidences clearly both the consumer's authorization of payment for the merchandise that is the subject of the sales offer and the consumer's receipt of all of the following information:
a. The date of the draft or drafts;
b. The amount of the draft or drafts;
c. The payor's name;
d. The number of draft payments;
e. A telephone number for consumer inquiry that is answered during normal business hours; and
f. The date of the consumer's oral authorization; or
(c) Written confirmation of the transaction, sent to the consumer prior to submission for payment of the consumer's check, draft or other form of negotiable paper, which shall include:
a. All of the information contained in paragraph (b) of this subdivision; and
b. The procedures by which the consumer can obtain a refund from the seller or telemarketer in the event that the confirmation is inaccurate;
(9) Procure the services of any professional delivery, courier or other pick-up service to obtain immediate receipt or possession of a consumer's payment, unless the merchandise or investment opportunity is delivered with the opportunity to inspect before any payment is collected; or
(10) Knowingly assist or support any telemarketer when the seller knew or should have known that the telemarketer was engaged in any act in violation of sections 407.1070 to 407.1085.
407.1079. 1. A seller or telemarketer shall keep for a period of twenty-four months from the date the record is produced, all verifiable authorizations and records as required in this act, in the form, manner, format or place as they keep such records in the ordinary course of business, including but not limited to:
(1) All substantially different advertising, brochures, telemarketing scripts and promotional materials;
(2) For any prize with a value of twenty-five dollars or greater, the name and last known address of each prize recipient and the prize awarded;
(3) The name and last known address of each consumer, the merchandise purchased, the date such merchandise was shipped or provided and the amount paid by the consumer for the merchandise;
(4) The name, any fictitious name used, the last known home address and telephone number, and the job title for all current and former employees directly involved in telephone sales, provided, that if the seller permits fictitious names to be used by employees, each fictitious name must be traceable to only one specific employee; and
(5) All written authorizations required to be provided or received pursuant to sections 407.1070 to 407.1085.
2. In the event of any dissolution or termination of the telemarketer's business, the telemarketer shall maintain all records as required pursuant to this section. In the event of any sale, assignment or other change in ownership of the seller's business, the successor shall maintain all records required pursuant to this section.
407.1082. 1. It is unlawful to violate any provision of sections 407.1070 to 407.1085 or to misrepresent or omit the required disclosures of sections 407.1073 or 407.1076, and pursuant to sections 407.010 to 407.130, RSMo, the violator shall be subject to all penalties, remedies and procedures provided in sections 407.010 to 407.130, RSMo. The remedies available in this section are cumulative and in addition to any other remedies available by law.
2. Any person who willfully and knowingly engages in any act or practice declared to be unlawful by any provision of section 407.1076 shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
3. In addition to the remedies already provided in sections 407.1070 to 407.1085, any consumer that suffers a loss or harm as a result of any unlawful telemarketing act or practice pursuant to section 407.1076 shall recover actual and punitive damages, reasonable attorney's fees, court costs and any other remedies provided by law.
407.1085. The provisions of sections 407.1070 to 407.1082 shall not apply to:
(1) Telephone calls in which the sale of merchandise is not completed, and payment or authorization of payment is not required, until after a face-to-face sales presentation by the telemarketer or seller, except that the requirements of subsection 1 of section 407.1073 shall apply to such calls;
(2) Telephone calls initiated by a consumer that:
(a) Are not the result of any advertisement by a seller or telemarketer;
(b) Are in response to an advertisement through any media, other than direct mail or telemarketing, which disclose the name of the seller and the identity of the merchandise; provided, however, that this exemption shall not apply to calls initiated by the consumer in response to an advertisement that offers a prize or investment opportunity, or is used to engage in telemarketing activities prohibited by subdivision (7), (8) or (9) of section 407.1076;
(c) Are in response to direct mail solicitations that clearly and conspicuously disclose and do not misrepresent the material information required by subsection 2 of section 407.1073; provided, however, that this exemption does not apply to calls initiated by the consumer in response to an advertisement that offers a prize or investment opportunity, or is to engage in telemarketing activities prohibited by subdivision (7), (8) or (9) of section 407.1076; or
(d) Are in response to the mailing of a catalog which contains a written description or illustration of the goods or services offered for sale; includes the business address of the seller, includes multiple pages of written materials or illustrations; and has been issued not less frequently than once a year, when the seller or telemarketer does not contact consumers by telephone but only receives calls initiated by consumers in response to the catalog and during those calls takes orders only without further solicitation. For purposes of this paragraph, the term "further solicitation" does not include providing the consumer with information about, or attempting to sell, any other item included in the same catalog which prompted the consumer's call or in a substantially similar catalog;
(3) Telephone calls or messages:
(a) To any consumer with such consumer's prior express invitation or permission;
(b) To any consumer with whom the seller has an established business relationship;
(4) Telephone calls by or on behalf of any entity as to which a state or federal agency has regulatory authority with respect to its telemarketing practices.
407.1088. 1. The secretary of state shall establish and provide for the operation of a data base to compile a list of telephone numbers of telecommunications service subscribers who object to receiving telephone solicitations.
2. The secretary of state shall promulgate regulations which:
(1) Establish a toll-free number and Internet address as a method for an individual to subscribe to the data base or to remove the individual's name from the database;
(2) Establish a method for a telemarketer to obtain access to the data base so that such individual or entity does not call a subscriber of the data base.
3. A telemarketer shall obtain access to the data base on a quarterly basis and retrieve a list of subscribers.
4. The secretary of state shall make the data base available to the Federal Communications Commission for inclusion in a national data base of telephone numbers of subscribers who object to receiving telephone solicitations pursuant to 47 U.S.C., Section 227(c)(3).
5. The lieutenant governor shall promote the data base and shall contract to provide public service announcements for the data base from funds appropriated for such purpose.
407.1089. The provisions of section 407.1088 will not apply to any entity as to which a state or federal agency has regulatory authority with respect to its telemarketing practices and which maintains a database of telephone numbers of individuals who object to receiving telephone solicitations.