CHAPTER 8-J. TELEPHONIC SOLICITATION PROHIBITED

DURING STATE OF EMERGENCY

§844.31. Telemarketing activities; prohibitions; exceptions

A. During a state of emergency as declared by the governor, no telephonic solicitor shall engage in telephonic solicitation except for the following reasons:

(1) The telephonic solicitation is in response to an express request of the person called. For purposes of this Section, in the case of property or services advertised and offered to sale directly by the owner or provider thereof, if such advertisement or offer contains the phone number of the owner or provider or its authorized representative, then such advertisement or offer shall be deemed to be an "express request" by the owner or provider for inquiries relating to the sale or purchase of such property or services. The authorization for telephonic solicitation provided for in this Paragraph shall expire six months after the "express request" is granted.

(2) The telephonic solicitation is primarily in connection with an existing debt or contract, payment or performance of which has not been completed at the time of such call.

(3) The telephonic solicitation is to any person with whom the telephonic solicitor has an existing business relationship, or a prior business relationship that was terminated or lapsed within six months of such call, except by a person or business that conducts automobile sales and does not complete the sales presentation during the telephone solicitation and is made in contemplation of the sales presentation being completed at a later face-to-face meeting between the telephonic solicitor and the person contacted and where the contacted person has previously made purchases from the automobile dealership.

(4) The telephonic solicitation is on behalf of an organization, which has nonprofit status under Section 501(c)(3) or (6) of the Internal Revenue Code, unless such organization utilizes the services of a paid professional solicitor, as defined in R.S. 51:1901(6).

(5) The telephonic solicitation is for the purpose of conducting marketing research, public opinion polling, or similar activities that do not involve telephonic solicitation or selling or obtaining information that will or may be used for telephonic solicitation or selling.

(6) The telephonic solicitation constitutes political activity. For the purposes of this Section, calls constituting political activity are defined as calls made for the sole purpose of urging support for or opposition to a political candidate or ballot issue provided that the callers identify themselves or calls made for the sole purpose of conducting political polls or soliciting the expression of opinions, ideas, or votes or calls made by any newspaper or periodical in the state, which is qualified to be the official journal of the state or any parish, municipality, school board, or other political subdivision, as provided by Chapters 2 and 4 of Title 43 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.

(7) The telephonic solicitation is made without completing or attempting to complete a sale, such sale to be completed only after a face-to-face meeting between the telephonic solicitor and the person called at the telephonic solicitor's primary place of business or at another location selected by the purchaser. The call pursuant to this Paragraph must be the result of a referral of the person called to the telephonic solicitor or be placed to an individual who is personally known to the telephonic solicitor. If placed as a result of a referral, the telephonic solicitor must provide to the person called the name of the person who made the referral. If the person called does not wish to be called after such initial call, then the telephonic solicitor shall not call that person and shall maintain a list of such persons. This exemption provided for in this Paragraph shall not apply if directly following the sale, the telephonic solicitor attempts to deliver an item or collect payment from the person called or caused another to do so.

B. For purposes of this Chapter:

(1) "Commission" means the Louisiana Public Service Commission.

(2)(a) "Telephonic solicitation" means any voice or data communication made by a telephonic solicitor to a residential telephonic subscriber for any of the following purposes:

(i) Encouraging a sale or rental of or investment in property, consumer goods, or services.

(ii) Encouraging an extension of credit for property, consumer goods, or services.

(iii) Obtaining information that will or may be used for the direct solicitation of a sale or rental of or investment in property, consumer goods, or services or an extension of credit for such purposes.

(iv) Soliciting of a contribution to a charitable organization.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the provisions of this Chapter shall not apply to either of the following:

(i) The American Red Cross.

(ii) Louisiana-based community blood centers with nonprofit status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code collecting voluntarily donated blood products for patient transfusion.

(3) "Telephonic solicitor" means any natural person, firm, organization, partnership, association, or corporation, or a subsidiary or affiliate thereof, doing business in this state, who makes or causes to be made a telephonic solicitation, including but not limited to any communication made by use of automated dialing or recorded message devices.

Acts 2003, No. 849, §1; Acts 2006, No. 418, §1; Acts 2018, No. 501, §1.