Waverly Patten, of Hubbard, received a call Sunday from a man with a thick accent. It was 7:50 a.m. and the person requested wasn't home. She got another call 45 minutes later.

"It was the same guy," she said. "I said, 'You just called here.' Then I hung up."

Just before work Tuesday morning, two more telemarketers called, she said.

"When you say 'no' you mean 'no,' but they're persistent," she said. "Somebody calling at 8 a.m. is just too much. Sunday was ridiculous."

Ms. Patten said that if Ohio had a "do-not-call" registry, she'd probably sign up. An Ohio state senator may give her the chance.

Sen. Robert Spada, a Republican from North Royalton, introduced legislation last month to establish a statewide do-not-call registry to help residents avoid unwanted calls at home, on cell phones or by fax.

The bill would allow consumers and regulators to avail themselves of the federal registry, recently established by the Federal Trade Commission, or give the option of a separate Ohio registry.

Michele Hulse, a spokeswoman for Spada, said committee hearings are taking place. The bill should head for a vote in the Senate in about two weeks before proceeding to the House, she said.

An 85-year-old Brookfield man, who didn't want to be identified, said he and his wife, who's 88, don't get many telemarketing calls. But when they do, making conversation with callers about the weather or current events is no bother, he said.

He said his main concern is the potential loss of jobs, should the do-not-call registry go into effect.

While some people have complained that the bill could lead to a loss in jobs, Ms. Hulse said Spada -- a former salesman himself -- has been very careful with the bill.

Spada said a do-not-call list eliminates wasted time by telemarketers. Jobs aren't threatened because those not signing up are more likely to listen and buy, he said. He expects the Legislature to pass the bill by the end of June.

"Spada is very much a pro-business man and doesn't see where there could be a job loss," Ms. Hulse said. "Businesses can concentrate on making calls to the people who want them."

Spada was an insurance salesman many years ago and also made calls for another company, she said. "He knows what it's like to make the calls and get people who are rude. There's still plenty of business out there" for the people who don't mind getting called, she said.

The telemarketing legislation also calls for a consumer-friendly signup system and restricted use of automated dialing systems, or "predictive dialers" that randomly call multiple telephone numbers simultaneously. When these systems are used and no telemarketing representative is available when the call is answered, the consumer is left with no one on the other end of the line.

If the bill passes, Ohio will join 27 other states with similar measures.