THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 1, 1997 TAG: 9701010229
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CAROLYN THOMPSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS
LENGTH: 61 lines
Florida lawmakers who take a cup o' kindness from lobbyists in 1997 had better report it. In Michigan, should parents become old acquaintances and forget to pay child support, their driver's licenses may go the way of auld lang syne.
Across the country, thousands of ideas that made the blustery journey from committee to governor's desk become law today.
An exception is Virginia, where new state laws generally take effect on July 1.
Chemical castration, racetrack card games and mandatory bike helmets are in. Drive-through deliveries, drunken hunting and kiddie boating, out.
Kansas, Indiana and Florida are among those getting tough on underage drinking and driving. Those states now label any young driver with a blood-alcohol content of 0.02 - about one drink's effect - legally drunk and subject to a license suspension.
``This no-nonsense, anti-DUI law will meet its potential as the most powerful preventative measure possible against teen drinking and driving,'' said state Rep. Bob Casey, a Republican who sponsored the measure in Florida.
Deliveries in which new mothers are hustled out the hospital door at the behest of the insurance company were halted in New York and New Hampshire. New York guarantees a two-day maternity stay for mothers who want it, and a four-daystay after Caesarean sections. A similar federal law takes effect in 1998. New Hampshire's new law lets mother and doctor decide when to go home.
In California, Gov. Pete Wilson signed into law 1,171 bills that, among other things, require some child molesters to undergo chemical castration with injections of Depo-Provera, which dampens sexual desire.
California also increased prison terms for vehicular manslaughter from four-to-10 years to 15 years-to-life under ``Courtney's Law,'' named for a Roseville teen killed by a man with previous drunken driving convictions.
The state also tinkered with its labeling law to allow strong malt drinks previously classified as ale, porter or stout to be called beer.
Among other notable laws:
North Carolina, via a constitutional amendment, finally gave veto power to its governor. It was the last state to do so.
Florida passed laws requiring children under 16 to wear helmets while bicycling and to allow racetracks and jai alai frontons to set up low-stakes card rooms. The state also added food and drink to the list of gifts lawmakers must report.
Michigan and Wisconsin may strip deadbeat dads of their driver's or occupational licenses for being 90 days late with child support.
Arizona eased its ban on fireworks to allow the sale of sparklers, poppers and other non-explosive devices. Also, the state now requires divorcing parents to take a course on the impact of divorce on children.
New Hampshire will now subject anyone convicted of boating while intoxicated to the same penalties imposed for driving drunk, including license revocation. The state also created a prison term of up to seven years for hunters who hurt someone while drunk.
Minnesota will bar children under 12 from operating motorboats of more than 75 horsepower. They can still drive less powerful boats, as long as an adult is near the controls.
KEYWORDS: LAWS