News: New state laws coming in 2012

Fireman25

Worker verification
Alabama, with the country's toughest immigration law, will require all employers who do business with any government entity to use a federal system known as E-Verify to check that all new employees are in the country legally.

Protecting the young
In Colorado, coaches will be required to bench players as young as 11 when they're believed to have suffered a head injury. The young athletes will also need medical clearance to return to play.

The law also requires coaches in public and private schools and even volunteer Little League and Pop Warner football coaches to take free annual online training to recognize the symptoms of a concussion. At least a dozen other states have enacted similar laws with the support of the National Football League.

Election changes
New laws requiring voters to present photo identification will go into effect in Kansas, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Texas. A law in New Hampshire will require election day registrants who do not present a photo ID to return a mailed identify verification. An additional Tennessee law will require election officials to identify possible non-citizens who are registered to vote and require them to present proof of citizenship in order to remain registered voters.

Other laws by state:

Alabama:

•New restrictions govern who can testify as an expert witness in civil and criminal trials in a measure aiming to limit what critics call "junk science" theories of how or why a crime occurred.

California:

•Employers cannot use consumer credit reports to evaluate job candidates, except for some exempted positions or when employers obtain consent from applicants.

California will be the first state for students to learn about gays and lesbains.

Delaware:

•Civil unions or domestic partnerships for same-sex couples are legalized, giving them the same state rights and obligations of those who are married but clarifying that marriage is between a man and a woman.
David Goldman / AP
A golf cart driver looks for a parking space in a busy shopping center parking lot in Peachtree City, Ga. Golf cart owners in Georgia will have stricter requirements to follow Jan. 1 if they plan to drive their carts on roadways.

Georgia:

•New safety requirements for cities that allow drivers to steer their golf carts off the green and onto roads and multi-use paths, including brakes, reverse warning devices and a horn.
•Any agency administering public benefits must require each applicant to provide at least one "secure and verifiable document."
•Municipalities with 911 call centers can require retailers selling prepaid cellphones to charge a fee to support the emergency systems.

Illinois:

.•People convicted of first-degree murder must be added to a new public database, similar to the sex offender registry, when they're released from prison or any other facility. The database would include names, addresses, workplaces, schools attended and photos for offenders for up to 10 years after release.
•Motorcyclists stopped at a red light may proceed through if it fails to change to green after a reasonable length of time.
•Animal-control centers scanning a lost pet for a microchip also must look for other common forms of identification, including tattoos and ID tags.

Nevada:

•The state attorney general gains new subpoena powers to investigate open meeting law complaints, and members of public bodies who knowingly participate in violations are subject to civil penalties up to $500.
•Music therapists and dietitians face new licensing requirements, while educators must now undergo a criminal background check when their licenses are renewed. Fire performers and apprentices must apply to the state fire marshal for certificate of registration.
•A statewide emergency alert system is established for vulnerable elderly people, similar to the Amber Alert system for abducted children.

North Carolina:

•More criminals convicted of misdemeanors will be housed in county jails rather than in state prisons to save money and reduce repeat offenses.
•State tax collector will have fewer powers to force corporations to redo their tax returns if they're suspected of dodging taxes.

Tennessee:

•Penalties increasing for raping a child, creating a minimum sentence of 25 years but allowing judges to increase the time when appropriate, up to 60 years for the worst cases.
•Penalties also increase for people who fire a weapon into an occupied home, a measure that seeks to curtail drive-by shootings.

Utah:

•New laws make any daily drink specials illegal, essentially banning happy hour.

SOURCE

Errrlend

Quote:

Originally posted by Fireman25

Tennessee:

•Penalties increasing for raping a child, creating a minimum sentence of 25 years but allowing judges to increase the time when appropriate, up to 60 years for the worst cases.
•Penalties also increase for people who fire a weapon into an occupied home, a measure that seeks to curtail drive-by shootings.

In Norway the penalty for rape is like.. 3 months

Our penalties are SO low. smh.

Quote:

Originally posted by Fireman25

Utah:

•New laws make any daily drink specials illegal, essentially banning happy hour.

SOURCE

Awww... :/

Attitude

Quote:

California will be the first state for students to learn about gays and lesbains.

Don't know what Lesbains are but this is exciting.

princedonte

I wonder what caused the No Happy Hour Law

Ahmed.

Quote:

Originally posted by princedonte

I wonder what caused the No Happy Hour Law

+1

Midnight

Quote:

Originally posted by ắttitudé

Don't know what Lesbains are but this is exciting.

rihannabiggestfan

woah, california learns about gays and lesbians? interesting ... i'm guessing in science class?

Tsuko

Quote:

Originally posted by princedonte

I wonder what caused the No Happy Hour Law

A lot of the people who live there (about 30%) are Latter-Day Saints. They don't drink alcohol (or do any other drugs), and they ideally want everybody in the world to stop drinking alcohol.

They're very conservative in general. They don't want gay people to get married or even have relationships, they believe women should stay at home, clean the house and cook dinner for when their husbands come home from work, and all that sort of stuff.

Quote:

Originally posted by rihannabiggestfan

woah, california learns about gays and lesbians? interesting ... i'm guessing in science class?

I'd imagine in PSHE class (or whatever the American equivalant is)? I think they'd teach more the cultural/social aspect of it, rather than the biological aspect of it. And it might mean they have to cover it in sex education aswell. In a lot of sex education schemes in many countries, they only have to cover straight sex (although obviously a lot of teachers choose to cover gay sex too).

family.guy123

Quote:

•Motorcyclists stopped at a red light may proceed through if it fails to change to green after a reasonable length of time.

ummmmm

MrPeanut

Quote:

Originally posted by family.guy123

ummmmm

Some traffic lights function based on a trigger circuit built under the road that activates from the weight of a car. It's often the case that motorcycles aren't heavy enough to set off the trigger, so they could be waiting at a red light indefinitely.

MusicLoverDude

Only cared for my home state Cali

Cali on the gays and lesbians

BRITNEY LICIOUS

Quote:

Originally posted by ắttitudé

Don't know what Lesbains are but this is exciting.

KitKat

California stanning for the gay

Haus

California is going to teach about homosexuality but they can't even legally get married there?

rihannabiggestfan

Quote:

Originally posted by Haus

California is going to teach about homosexuality but they can't even legally get married there?

wow ... that is so true. i wonder if they would change that too? idk.