Industry Wants Wisconsin Veto of Telemarketer List

August 8, 2001

The insurance industry wants Wisconsin Gov. Scott McCallum to veto a telemarketer “do-not-call” list that would be created by the state budget, according to a report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Bob Jartz, executive vice president of the Madison-based Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin, said the business of his group’s members would be hurt by a measure that he says is aimed at the practices of out-of-state telemarketers.

A provision in the 2001-2003 State Budget that the Legislature passed last week would enable residents to sign up for the list by telephone or computer. Once on the list, they could not be contacted by telemarketers, except by those from non-profit organizations or those with existing business relationships with them.

Individual violators could be fined from $100 to $500 per violation, and telemarketing companies could be fined between $1,000 and $10,000 per violation.

Although it would take at least a year for state consumer protection officials to set up the list, more than 1,000 people have already called the state asking to be placed on it. Jartz noted that the Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin are definitely against the legislation as it is presented now, believing the intent is to protect people from unregulated solicitation from telemarketers. However, from an insurance agent standpoint, the group doesn’t think they should be covered. Jartz added members of his organization are regulated by the state insurance commissioner’s office.

Disclosures already required to sell insurance in the home, either in person or by phone, include giving the seller’s name, the name of the firm represented, a statement of fact that insurance is being sold, the identity of the insurer and the type of insurance. Violators can be fined $1,000 per violation and their licenses could be suspended or revoked.

Debbie Monterrey-Millet, a spokeswoman for McCallum, said the governor was considering input from the insurance industry and consumers on the issue, and expected to reach a decision on the issue within two weeks.

Topics Wisconsin

Was this article valuable?

Here are more articles you may enjoy.