New laws prod police, protect kids, push tax cuts

By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS, The Associated Press
10:07 a.m. June 27, 2009

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Government records will be more open in South Dakota, Florida is cracking down on illicit prescription drug sales and downing a cold one at the corner bar will be easier in Utah.

New laws taking effect Wednesday reflect states' concerns with holding police more accountable, expanding the use of DNA to solve crimes and offering certain tax breaks.

July 1 is the effective date in many states for laws passed during this year's legislative sessions. In others, laws take effect Jan. 1, or 90 days after passage.

Some laws create new state responsibilities. Florida, the nation's leader in illicit sales of addictive prescription drugs such as the painkiller OxyContin, will join 38 other states that have electronic tracking systems for such drugs.

Critics say the new law isn't strong enough and may infringe on patients' privacy.

California will require chain restaurants to disclose the calories on their standard menu items. In South Carolina, the unmarried biological fathers of children will have to register paternity claims with the state if they expect to preserve parental rights.

Other laws will ease requirements.

Utah will lift some of the nation's strictest regulations limiting who can belly up to the bar.

For 40 years, the state has considered bars to be private clubs that can grant admission only to members who have filled out an application and paid a fee, or to members' guests. The system is being scrapped in an effort to lure tourists and make the state more appealing for businesses.

In Ohio, truck drivers will finally be able to travel on most interstates at 65 mph, the same as cars.

"It's safer when everybody is trying to go the same speed," said Larry Davis, president of the Ohio Trucking Association, which lobbied for the change.

Some laws put extra mandates on police departments. SWAT teams in Maryland must report on their missions to the governor every six months and report whenever a SWAT team injures or kills a pet.

The law was spurred by last year's raid on a mayor's house during which police killed the official's two black Labradors. Police cleared the mayor and said he was victim of a scheme in which drug couriers drop deliveries at the homes of unsuspecting recipients to be picked up by somebody else later.

While police departments support the law, they're concerned that it lacks detail, from what constitutes a SWAT team to how long records will be kept.

"The law's kind of vague about it," said Larry Harmel, executive director of the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association.

Minnesota is compelling police and sheriffs to start searching right away when adults disappear under suspicious circumstances. Some law enforcement agencies now wait 24 or 48 hours to look into such cases, since adults can choose to go away without telling others.

The law is named for Brandon Swanson, a 19-year-old who disappeared last May after running his car off the road in rural western Minnesota.

"We don't want to waste law enforcement's time, but on the flip side, in some of these situations it's life and death," said Minnesota state Rep. Marty Seifert.

Elsewhere, states such as Florida, Michigan and Nevada will beef up their laws requiring suspects arrested for felonies – not just convicted criminals – to submit a DNA sample.

Tax breaks abound. North Dakota will reduce taxes on income, champagne, and pull tab gambling tickets. Maryland will add domestic partners who co-own homes to the list of people exempted from the state inheritance tax.

North Carolina will provide a series of new and expanded property tax breaks or deferrals to disabled veterans, the elderly and fishery owners. Washington is giving newspaper printers and publishers a 40 percent cut in the state's main business tax.

Several laws try to keep children and teens healthy and safe.
Oregon will strengthen its existing anti-bullying law after a study found the state's 2001 law was failing to stop name-calling, slurs and harassment, especially insults aimed at minorities, girls and gays.

California will ban soda from high school cafeterias. Mississippi will require anyone 17 or younger to get written permission from a parent or guardian before using an indoor tanning facility. Parents must be present if the child is 13 or younger.

South Dakota residents will gain better access to public records under a new law that follows the lead of most other states by assuming a record is public, but including a list of exceptions.

For years, the state had one of the nation's most restrictive laws, allowing access only to documents that an agency was required to keep.

"Citizens do have a right to know what government is doing and it is important for them to have access to records," said Sen. Dave Knudson of Sioux Falls.

Concerns about Western water rights spurred a law in Colorado allowing people to collect rain water for fire protection, animals and household use without fear of prosecution. It's a touchy issue in the state, which does not import water from other states or regions and is forced by law to send it on to other states downstream.

Not every law taking effect July 1 deals with important public policy. A new Florida measure allows state universities to create mausoleums to hold urns of ashes of devoted alumni.

The legislation was requested by the University of Florida, where officials say they get calls about once a month from Gator alums who want to have their ashes spread on the school's football field known as "The Swamp."

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