Washington State AG Pushes Anti-Robocall Bill

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) is proposing legislation to toughen the state’s rules against robocalls, he said Wednesday. The Robocall Scam Protection Act (HB 105), sponsored by state legislator Rep. Mari Leavitt (D), would make it a violation of the Consumer Protection Act to robocall those on the do-not-call registry, spoof ID or “knowingly facilitate illegal robocalls if you are a voice service provider,” the release said. “Addressing the gap in protections to root out these scams is the least we can do to protect our fellow Washingtonians,” said Leavitt in the release, which compares the bill to similar laws passed in Florida and Oklahoma. The bill would preserve the use of automatic dialers by businesses to contact their existing customers, customers who consented, and customers with whom they have an established business relationship, “as long as the sales message itself is delivered by a live person,” the release said. The bill would also allow for civil litigation against telecom providers, with damages of up to $1,000 per violation, the release said. The state legislature “must give Washingtonians stronger and clearer legal protections against the daily bombardment of illegal robocalls -- and provide additional tools to my office to hold bad actors accountable,” said Ferguson in the release.