Bill to bounce back CD-ROMs gets dumped

The California State Assembly has voted down a bill that would have required companies such as America Online to include a stamped envelope with every CD-ROM that they mass-mail to households. Bill AB 2166, sponsored by Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, was dismissed on Tuesday in a 3-6 vote, including 4 abstentions.

The legislation was intended to enable people to send unwanted CD-ROMs back to the company or forward to a recycling plant. Hancock said the bill would reduce landfill waste and preserve resources. AOL applauded the vote outcome, saying that the bill "would have unnecessarily taxed the software industry."