<a href="http://www.computerworld.com/printthis/2003/0,4814,81542,00.html">California senate passes antispam bill</a>

ComputerWorld reports “the California State Senate passed a bill Thursday that would transform spam from a misdemeanor to a felony offense and cost spammers an estimated $500 per unsolicited e-mail sent.”

The Bill is called SB12 and works on an opt-in model. Just think about the repercussions, lawyers can chase ‘spammers’ instead of ambulances now. More seriously, though, if this can be acted on and enforced, the $500 per email fee could be a strong deterrent that may make many spammers think twice before hitting the send button.