Sponsored Content WEBINAR: ELECTION 2008: E-mail Tips from a Political Insider   WEBINAR: Becoming the Illusionist: The Magic of Using "Brand" to Drive Response without Results Disappearing in the Process   WEBINAR: Score and Win Through Cooperation   TOOLS OF THE TRADE: Holiday's are prime-time for email marketing - maximize your ROI by getting to the inbox   ON DEMAND WEBINAR--MASTER CLASS: High Performance Online and Off-line Strategies for Large Scale Customer Acquisition   FREE WHITE PAPER - Direct Mail and the Internet Find any supplier you need - agencies, CRM, fulfillment, lists, e-commerce, paper, printers, telemarketing, and more. Featured Categories Lists and Data Telemarketing Database Marketing E-commerce Web Marketing Agency & Creative Services Print, Production & Paper Lists and Data Processing :: view all categories Get free access to more than 50,000 list data cards - one of the most comprehensive databases in the industry. >> Search Now DIRECT Buzz Blog Webinars Buyer's Guide Calculators JobZone ListFinder Promo Calendar Research Store E-Newsletters Print Magazine This Month in Direct Magazine Deal With It Direct had a full house for this year's list roundtable. Considering all the additional responsibilities on brokers' plates, that's impressive... See Full July Issue

Maryland lawmakers have approved a measure seen as one of the country's strongest most far-reaching bills to prevent junk e-mail, according to the Baltimore Sun.

"What is does is crack down on fraudulent and deceptive practices that kingpin spammers use that are designed to defeat attempts by Internet service providers that block spam from coming in," said state delegate Neil Quinter.

Quinter's bill and an identical Senate bill would, if signed by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., allow outlaw spammers to be sentenced to terms of up to 10 years in prison. It also calls for fines up to $25,000, and allows personal assets of spammers to be confiscated.

The Maryland bill would also make it illegal for people who send unsolicited e-mail to disguise their identities by using false return addresses or misleading subject lines. It would further prohibit spammers from harvesting addresses from Web sites.

Gregg Massoni, Ehrlich's press secretary, said the governor will decide whether to sign it after his policy advisers and the state attorney general's office determine whether there are any legal problems with the legislation.