Congress Votes for Do-Not-Call Registry

Judge ruled FTC needed congressional authority to make list

Thursday, September 11, 2003

(6:00 PM ET) (22:00 GMT)

The Cable News Network

Charities, surveys and calls on behalf of politicians are exempt from the registry.

WASHINGTON -- CNN
Both the Senate and the House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly voted to grant the Federal Trade Commission authority to create a national "do-not-call" list for telemarketers. The legislation is now headed to President Bush.

The quick action comes a day after a federal judge ruled the FTC needed a congressional mandate to create the wildly popular list.

"Fifty million Americans can't be wrong," Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-Louisiana, declared Wednesday, referring to the number of people who have signed up to block the unwanted solicitations.

"The goal is to get it to the president's desk today," said Jack Finn, a spokesman for Sen. John Ensign, R-Nevada, who is sponsoring the Senate bill.

The House voted 412-8 for the mandate, and the Senate vote was 95-0.
(More: CNN.com Inside Politics)
2003 © Cable News Network LP, LLLP.

Dan