Congress passed a bill yesterday to provide funding for the Federal Trade Commission's national no-call list after the House of Representatives voted 418-7 to approve it and lawmakers agreed to let the bill through without Senate approval.
The agreement ensures that the FTC will obtain the money it needs to get the registry up and running by the end of the year. Last month, resistance from key members of the House committee that initially reviewed the bill led to worries that the list's launch could be delayed until 2004.
In the end, Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-LA, the key member who had raised the initial objections, wound up sponsoring the bill. The bill now goes to the White House for final approval, and The Associated Press reported that President Bush has voiced support for it.
The national no-call registry is expected to cost $16 million in its first year. The funding bill gives the FTC the authority to levy fees on telemarketers for accessing the registry in order to recoup those costs.
