Olympia – Yesterday, the Washington House of Representatives passed House Bill 1051, the Robocall Spam Protection Act, holding bad actors accountable for illegal robocalls. Rep. Mari Leavitt, D-University Place, introduced the legislation in partnership with Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
“Everyone has a family member or knows someone who has fallen prey to one of these scams” said Rep. Leavitt. “When the technology to prevent fraudulent robocalls exists, we have an obligation to use it to protect Washingtonians.”
The new law will allow action under the Consumer Protection Act and for civil litigation against those that wrongfully and intentionally allow or conduct illegal robocalls. The substitute bill modifies the definition of “commercial solicitation” and “established business relationship” to provide needed flexibility for businesses and specific industries such as healthcare providers.
“In protecting our community, we also want to make sure healthcare entities, universities, and businesses won’t be negatively impacted or open to liability for reaching out to consumers for legitimate purposes,” added Rep. Leavitt. “I am confident we’ve struck the right balance that protects the interests of all.”
House Bill 1051 passed the House with a unanimous vote of 96 to 0. It now goes to the Senate for further consideration.