Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr., chairman of the State Senate's Consumer Protection Committee, announced that the New York State Assembly passed his legislation that would increase the fine for violating the provisions of New York State's "Do Not Call" Registry. Fuschillo's legislation passed the State Senate in March, and will now be delivered to Governor George Pataki for final approval.

"I am very happy that the Assembly has joined the Senate in passing this legislation, which will provide New Yorkers with greater protection from unwanted telemarketing phone calls," said Fuschillo, who authored the legislation that created the "Do Not Call!" Registry. "The 'Do Not Call' Registry has been a resounding success, collecting approximately $1 million from companies that make illegal telemarketing calls. This legislation will make the 'Do Not Call' Registry even more effective in deterring these harassing calls."

The legislation increases the fine for each violation of New York State's "Do Not Call" Statewide Registry from $5,000 to $11,000, bringing the amount in line with the fine imposed for violating the National "Do Not Call" Registry.

The law which established the state registry in 2000 was amended in 2003 to allow the state registry to merge with the National "Do Not Call" Registry. Prior to merging with the national program, the state "Do Not Call" Registry had approximately 2.3 million phone numbers listed.

If you would like to register on the national "Do Not Call" Registry, visit Senator Fuschillo's website at www.senatorfuschillo.com and click the link in the "Senate Update" section. For further information, please call Senator Fuschillo's office at 546-4100.