Day 16 -- People who are tired of getting phone calls from solicitors, especially during lunch and dinner hours, may finally see some relief on the horizon.

The House passed H.B. 71 today which allows people to register their names and phone numbers with the Public Service Commission to refuse phone solicitation. The cost to have your name put on the list would be $5 and you could choose which class of unsolicited phone calls you want to eliminate.

These classes include the sales of goods or services, donations, conducting polls or surveys, and paid solicitation of votes for candidates for public office or ballot questions.

Telemarketers would have to pay $10 to receive a list of people not to call and violators could face fines of $500 for the first offense, and $2000 each time thereafter.

The bill also gives the state power to demand phone records from telemarketers or to order them out of business for repeat violations.

The Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs estimates, of the 100,000 calls it will receive this year, up to 40% will be consumer complaints of deception by companies selling products, promising big paydays or asking for donations over the telephone.

Other states have similar programs such as Florida where about 40,000 people have paid to get on their state's list.

If signed by the Governor the program could be up and running by January 1, 1998.