One New Jersey lawmaker wants to prohibit the sending of unsolicited text message advertisements to Garden State residents.

Noting that such ads can be a costly nuisance for consumers, Sen. Joseph Vitale said the practice needs to be stopped immediately.

He’s co-sponsoring legislation that would provide stiff penalties for violators, especially if they knew — or should have known — the consumer receiving the ads was a senior citizen or someone with a disability.

The measure sponsored by the Woodbridge Democrat and Sen. Sean Kean, R-Wall, would bar the sending of unsolicited ads by text messaging if they cause the recipient to pay fees or reduces the number of text messages allotted them by their telecommunications provider.

(Source: WCBSTV)