At the stroke of twelve on New Year's eve, a number of new Laws came into effect around the Nation.
For the most part, the new statutes appear to be sensible.
In New York, there was a big win for travellers...any passenger left stranded for over three hours due to delayed or cancelled flights, must be given food and drink, under the new Law that focuses on passenger rights.
In Chicago, consumers will be taxed five cents on every bottle of water, in a bold-faced effort to penalize distributors, and protect the environment from plastic products.
In California, drivers and passengers are no longer permitted to smoke in a car that is moving or standing in traffic, if there is a child under 18 in the vehicle.
In an effort to curb the dangers of wild pets - often abandoned after they've managed to escape from their handlers - Florida has passed a law that requires exotic pets to be imbedded with a computer chip so the owners may be properly identified and located when the animals get loose.
In New Hampshire, Civil Unions were approved; the State is now among a handful that permit same-sex marriage, much to the dismay of Bible thumpers (the Pope, too).
In a State where rowdy, much-publicized celebrity arrests have come to the fore in recent years, a new law requires that the news media - and others - pay for copies of mug shots ($100 a pop) through normal channels...also, the statute makes "bribes" for private and confidential information in respect to arrest specifics obtained from law enforcement - or others - a crime.
Since each state passed a number of new laws - in effect as of 2008 - it may be wise to check the local newspapers and nightly news broadcasts daily for the first week or so of the new year...to become familiarized with the changes.
Saying you didn't know about "new laws" probably won't get you off the hook.
As the saying goes, "Ignorance of the Law is no excuse."
Curb your wolf!
