GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
1997 SESSION
S.L. 1997-351
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1. The General Assembly finds that:
(1) Some telephone systems operated by State government agencies require callers to proceed through several menus to finally reach an individual extension, an arrangement that can be intimidating to the caller;
(2) Many State telephone systems also make it difficult to reach an attendant or operator at the agency; and
(3) While automated telephone systems and voice mail are intended to improve the efficiency of government, the first duty of government is to serve the people, and efficiency should not impede the average citizen in attempting to contact a State agency for service or information.
Section 2. State agency telephone systems routing calls to multiple extensions shall be reprogrammed by September 1, 1997, to minimize the number of menus that a caller must go through to reach the desired extension, and to allow the caller to reach an attendant or operator from the first menu when calling during normal business hours.
This act shall be implemented by State agencies with existing personnel at no additional cost to the State.
Section 3. This act is effective when it becomes law.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 22nd day of July, 1997.
s/ Dennis A. Wicker
President of the Senate
s/ Harold J. Brubaker
Speaker of the House of Representatives
s/ James B. Hunt, Jr.
Governor
Approved 4:00 p.m. this 1st day of August, 1997