New Year-New Laws

Along with the more newsworthy laws prohibiting smoking in vehicles transporting children or driving and using a handheld cellphone, legalizing marijuana, and school sports and bathroom access and gender identity here are some other new laws for the New Year.

In Oregon, privately run websites that feature police mug shots must take down photos for free if subjects can show they were not guilty or that charges were dropped. Interestingly enough, I kind of like looking at the local mug shot feature on the local news online, and since my own have never appeared I hadn't given much thought to how a person found not guilty or charged would feel about this.

In Delaware, fisher people beware sale, possession or distribution of shark fins prohibited. This law I mention for my fishing fool young’uns, in case they ever find themselves in Delaware.

In Illinois, you can now return a pet or be reimbursed for veterinary costs if an illness was not disclosed by the seller. So-called "lemon pets" laws already exist in 21 states, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. As a lemonade lover and animal lover I think lumping disappointing pets and cars together and calling them lemons is offensive.  

In Oregon, new mothers will now be able to take their placentas home from the hospital since some experts say ingesting it has positive health benefits and here I was hoping the mother’s might opt for burying it under a tree or something, anything other than eating it.

Happy New Year, I’m going with black eyed peas and collard greens again.