Get that Junk Mail Out of Your e-Mailbox!

The House has passed H.R.3113, “Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act of 2000,” which may cause junk e-mailers to look for a new way to make a living. The bill nearly passed almost unanimously (427-1), and so should have an easy ride through the Senate. The dissenting vote was cast by former Libertarian turned Republican Representative, Ron Paul, of Texas.

The provisions of the bill require that anyone sending an email message will be required to provide a valid return address, so that recipients may request that their name be removed from the mailing list. Provisions are included in the bill that will allow punishment in federal court for violators of this law.

The bill will also provides remedies for email recipients who request that they be removed from an unsolicited distribution list but who are not removed from the list after a reasonable period of time has passed.

Under this bill, all unsolicited email messages will be required to include language identifying the messages as being of this type and must include notice of how to be removed from the email distribution list.

Text of the bill: