Attorney general wants to limit robo-calls

? Unwanted robo-calls would be banned under a measure proposed Friday by Attorney General Steve Six.

In unveiling his agenda for the legislative session that starts Monday, Six said he also will introduce bills to increase protections for elderly people and victims of sexual violence.

“The bills I will put forward this year reflect my priorities since I have been in office: preventing elder abuse, cracking down on sex predators and protecting Kansans’ privacy,” Six said.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Derek Schmidt, R-Independence, and state Rep. Virgil Peck, R-Tyro, announced that they will file legislation to add 30 months to the prison term of any person convicted of committing a felony while wearing body armor.

The lawmakers said their proposal was prompted by a bank robbery in Coffeyville last year in which the robber wore body armor and engaged in a shoot-out with police that killed a bystander.

“Taking time to strap on body armor in advance of committing a crime is clear proof that the offender was anticipating a fight. This bill is about standing up for law enforcement officers who put themselves on the line every day to keep our communities safe,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt and Six, a Democrat, are potential opponents in the November election. Both are seeking their parties’ nominations for the attorney general race.

Six’s robo-call bill would require that a person give consent to hearing a recorded message before the message could be played. There would be exceptions for notifications from work, schools, or agencies that contact crime victims about upcoming court dates.

“It is important that Kansans be protected from robo-calls that interrupt their dinner table conversation,” Six said. He said it was patterned after a law in Minnesota.

Six said he would also propose legislation to provide better protections for people giving their durable power of attorney to someone else. And, he said, he would seek to make it easier to enter testimony about past crimes in trials of sex predators.