SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 921

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JANUARY 26, 2023

     The Senate Commerce Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 921 with committee amendments.

     As amended, this bill requires a telemarketer, within 30 seconds of making a telemarketing sales call, to provide the customer the name and telephone number of the person on whose behalf the call is being made.  A violation of the bill’s provisions is to constitute a disorderly persons offense, in addition to other penalties as already prescribed by current law.

     The bill also requires the mailing address of a telemarketer and any business on whose behalf the telemarketer is telemarketing to be disclosed on any website owned or operated by the telemarketer and on any subsequent written communication to customers.

     The prohibition on unsolicited sales calls and the requirement to disclose certain telemarketer information required in this bill do not apply to telemarketing sales calls when a customer contacts the telemarketer via phone call or website and affirmatively requests a follow-up telemarketing sales call or other contact from the telemarketer.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

      The committee amended the bill to clarify that in addition to a disorderly persons offense, a party in violation of the bill will incur other penalties as provided by law.