2003 House Bill 4519 / Public Act 42

Introduced in the House

April 2, 2003

Introduced by Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-90)

To require senders of unsolicited commercial e-mail (“spam”) to Michigan residents to conspicuously place in the e-mail the sender's legal name, correct street address, a functioning return electronic address, and a valid internet domain name. The message would be required to include in a subject line "ADV:" as the first four characters for a commercial e-mail. Also, senders would be required to provide a convenient, no-cost mechanism to notify the sender not to send any future e-mail to the recipient, including a toll-free telephone number to call to be excluded from future mailings. The bill also prohibits the transfer of software which has the purpose of enabling the falsification of e-mail transmission or routing information. Penalties of up to a $5,000 fine and one year in jail are provided, and greater penalties for using deceptive practices. Recipients of unsolicited e-mails, or Internet service providers, would be able to sue for actual damages, or the lesser of $10 per unsolicited message received or transmitted through an e-mail service provider, or $25,000 for each day a violation occurs, plus legal costs.

Referred to the Committee on Energy and Technology

May 7, 2003

Reported without amendment

With the recommendation that the substitute (H-2) be adopted and that the bill then pass.

May 13, 2003

Substitute offered

To replace the previous version of the bill with one which incorporates technical changes that do not affect the substance of the bill as previously described.

The substitute passed by voice vote

Passed in the House 107 to 0 (details)

Received in the Senate

May 14, 2003

Referred to the Committee on Technology and Energy

June 10, 2003

Reported without amendment

With the recommendation that the substitute (S-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.

June 19, 2003

Substitute offered

To replace the previous version of the bill with one which authorizes higher penalties against spammers who violate the bill's provisions, including higher damages payable to spam recipients.

The substitute passed by voice vote

June 24, 2003

Amendment offered by Sen. Bruce Patterson (R-7)

To establish that an Internet service provider who designs and implements a dispute resolution process for a sender who believes the sender's e-mail message has been improperly blocked, and makes contact information accessible on its website, is not liable for blocking the e-mail.

The amendment passed by voice vote

Passed in the Senate 37 to 0 (details)

To require senders of unsolicited commercial e-mail (“spam”) to Michigan residents to conspicuously state in the e-mail the sender's legal name, correct street address, a functioning return electronic address, and a valid internet domain name. The message would be required to include in a subject line "ADV:" as the first four characters for a commercial e-mail. Also, senders would be required to provide a convenient, no-cost mechanism to notify the sender not to send any future e-mail to the recipient, including a toll-free telephone number to call to be excluded from future mailings. Sending spam to a recipient who notified the sender that he or she did not want to receive future e-mails would be prohibited. The bill also prohibits the transfer of software which has the purpose of enabling the falsification of e-mail transmission or routing information. Penalties of up to a $10,000 fine and one year in jail are provided, and greater penalties for using deceptive practices. The Attorney General, recipients of spam, or Internet service providers could sue for actual damages, $500 per unsolicited message, or $250,000 for each day a violation occurs, plus legal costs. See also <a href="http://www.michiganvotes.org/2003-SB-357">Senate Bill 357, which establishes a state “do not spam” list.

Received in the House

June 24, 2003

June 25, 2003

Passed in the House 107 to 0 (details)

To concur with the Senate-passed version of the bill.

Signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm

July 11, 2003