Kansas Senate approves bill expanding no-call law

? The Kansas Senate has approved a bill adding cellphone numbers to the state’s no-call law for telephone solicitors.

The measure proposed by Attorney General Derek Schmidt passed Thursday on a vote of 38-0 and now goes to the House.

Kansas enacted the no-call statute in 2002 to protect residents from unwanted telemarketing calls. People add their numbers to a list maintained by the Federal Trade Commission.

The attorney general can pursue complaints about solicitations made through landline phones but has no authority over calls made to cellphones. The bill would create that authority.

Supporters say the measure brings state policy in line with technology.

The attorney general’s office, county prosecutors and consumers can sue solicitors over no-call violations with penalties of up to $10,000 for each instance.