An Act to Require Telephone Solicitors to Use the Reassigned Numbers Database
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 2234
Committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology
Amends: 10 MRSA §1499-B

Legislative Document
No. 2234
H.P. 1433
House of Representatives, February 28, 2024
An Act to Require Telephone Solicitors to Use the Reassigned 
Numbers Database
Reported by Representative ZEIGLER of Montville for the Joint Standing Committee on 
Energy, Utilities and Technology pursuant to Public Law 2023, chapter 144, section 6.
Reference to the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology suggested and ordered 
printed pursuant to Joint Rule 218.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  10 MRSA §1499-B, sub-§1, ¶D-2 is enacted to read:
D-2.  "Reassigned numbers database" means a database created and maintained by the 
Federal Communications Commission that identifies whether a telephone number has 
been reassigned.
Sec. 2.  10 MRSA §1499-B, sub-§6, as amended by PL 2007, c. 489, §3, is further 
amended to read:
6.  Telephone solicitation violations.  It is a violation of this section for a telephone 
solicitor to initiate a telephone sales call to a consumer if that consumer's telephone number 
has been on the national or state do-not-call registry, established by the Federal Trade 
Commission, for at least 3 months prior to the date the call is made or to fail to use the 
reassigned numbers database to verify that a consumer's telephone number has not been 
reassigned prior to initiating a telephone sales call to that consumer. A telephone solicitor 
is not liable for violating this section if the telephone solicitor can demonstrate that:
A.  As part of the telephone solicitor's routine business practice, the telephone solicitor 
has established and implemented written procedures to comply with this section;
B.  As part of the telephone solicitor's routine business practice, the telephone solicitor 
has trained its personnel, and any entity assisting in its compliance, in the procedures 
established pursuant to paragraph A;
C.  As part of the telephone solicitor's routine business practice, the telephone solicitor 
or another person acting on behalf of the telephone solicitor has recorded and 
maintained a list of telephone numbers the telephone solicitor may not contact;
D.  As part of the telephone solicitor's routine business practice, the telephone solicitor 
uses a process to prevent telemarketing to any telephone number on any list established 
pursuant to paragraph C or on the national do-not-call registry, employing a version of 
the national do-not-call registry obtained from the Federal Trade Commission no more 
than 31 days prior to the date any call is made, and maintains records documenting this 
process;
E.  As part of the telephone solicitor's routine business practice, the telephone solicitor 
or another person acting on behalf of the telephone solicitor monitors and enforces 
compliance with the procedures established pursuant to paragraph A; and
E-1.  As part of the telephone solicitor's routine business practice, the telephone 
solicitor or another person acting on behalf of the telephone solicitor uses the 
reassigned numbers database to verify that a consumer's telephone number has not been 
reassigned prior to initiating a telephone sales call to that consumer; and
F.  Any subsequent call otherwise violating this section is the result of error.
SUMMARY
This bill is reported out by the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and 
Technology pursuant to Public Law 2023, chapter 144, section 6. The bill amends the law 
related to telephone solicitations to require a telephone solicitor to use the Federal 
Communications Commission's reassigned numbers database to verify that a consumer's 
telephone number has not been reassigned prior to initiating a telephone sales call to that 
consumer.
The committee has not taken a position on the substance of this bill.  By reporting this 
bill out, the committee is not suggesting and does not intend to suggest that it agrees or 
disagrees with any aspect of this bill.  The committee is reporting the bill out for the sole 
purpose of having a bill printed that can be referred to the committee for an appropriate 
public hearing and subsequent processing in the normal course. The committee is taking 
this action to ensure clarity and transparency in the legislative review of the proposals 
contained in the bill.