Assembly bill has a nice ring to it

The state Senate session may have had to be extended before passing the last piece of this year’s budget, but in the Assembly at least they accomplished something, and it wasn’t passing the budget bill in time to be barbecuing on the Fourth of July.

The Assembly overwhelmingly passed Bill A-727, otherwise known as the "No Tele-marketing Call List" bill, and just about anyone with a phone has to be rooting for the Senate’s version, S-445, to pass the minute that body returns in the fall.

The bill, as the name suggests, calls for the creation of a list that will allow all those who register with the state the opportunity to prevent unsolicited sales calls from coming to their homes.

Even for those tolerant of such calls, the bill will provide some welcome changes, particularly restricting the hours such calls can be made.

Sadly, this legislation is necessary because of the way many of the companies that conduct their sales over the phone have chosen to operate.

Because they could not control themselves, these companies are already operating under laws similar to the one proposed here in 20 other states, including New York and Delaware. The next step in the process is for the state Senate to pass the bill.

It seems awfully hard to come up with a scenario in which it does not do so quickly, though when our state Legislature is involved, stranger things have happened.

But one of the great things about living in our democracy is that even after being elected, legislators still have to pay attention to the people who put them in office.

If, in the fall, when the Senate comes back into session, you start to wonder what became of this bill, you might want to call your state senator and ask why it hasn’t been passed.

It might be best to try reaching your senator around dinnertime.