New laws on New Year's Day, from gay marriage to ?Caylee?s Law?

While much attention has been paid to the ?fiscal cliff? and the federal legislation behind it, thousands of new state laws took effect more quietly at the start of 2013.

By Daniel B. Wood,?Staff writer / January 1, 2013

Starting Tuesday, California hunters better not get caught using their dog to chase a bear or bobcat. Kentuckians should think twice about releasing a feral hog, and New Yorkers can get slapped with a $1,000 fine for selling even electronic cigarettes to minors.

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While much attention has been paid to the federal legislation poised to kick in Jan. 1 ? the automatic spending cuts and tax hikes collectively known as the ?fiscal cliff? ? thousands of new state laws took effect more quietly at the start of 2013.

?Each legislative session, lawmakers pass laws that range from extremely important to ridiculous,? says Robert Stern, former president of the Center for Governmental Studies in California, in an e-mail.

Overall, he notes, fewer laws are being enacted these days, primarily because tea party legislators campaigned on a platform of getting government out of the lives of ordinary people.

In 2009, 40,697 state laws were passed, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. But in 2012, under 30,000 went through.

?Many bills are passed to clean up past mistakes or to eliminate archaic laws passed decades ago,? Mr. Stern writes. Indeed, Kentucky just got around to deleting phrases from its constitution that spell out guidelines on pensions for Confederate soldiers.

In many other cases, state legislation can offer a window into what?s on the public?s mind. Here are some new laws that analysts say came out of recent, wide concerns:

? Prompted by the case of former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, who was convicted of sexually abusing 10 boys, California coaches and administrators in K-12 schools and higher-education employees who have regular contact with children are now mandated to report suspected child abuse.

? ?Caylee?s Laws? take effect in both California and Illinois. The legislation ? named after the 2-year-old daughter of Florida?s Casey Anthony, who was acquitted of the girl?s murder despite waiting a month before reporting her disappearance ? imposes strong penalties for a parent or guardian who fails to report the disappearance or death of a child within 24 hours.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/b6YDmhppihE/New-laws-on-New-Year-s-Day-from-gay-marriage-to-Caylee-s-Law

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