New laws will change your life, if…

07/17/2005

Conrad Defiebre and Patricia Lopez
Star Tribune
July 17, 2005

After six months of regular and special sessions, the 2005 Legislature’s scorecard reads thus: more than 5,300 bills introduced, 170 enacted, five vetoed and one partial government shutdown triggered by inaction.

But the relatively placid wrapup of business last week at the Capitol got the state up and running again with a new $30.57 billion budget for the next two years and more than a few twists and turns in laws governing everything from anabolic steroids to great horned owls to hot tubs on houseboats.

How does it all affect you? Read on ...

If you’re a smoker ... take a deep breath and dig a little deeper to pay for that next carton of coffin nails. The price of a pack is going up 75 cents in “health impact fees”; for other tobacco products, the 35 percent state excise tax is being doubled.

If you’re a minimum-wage worker ... don’t spend your raise all in one place. On Aug. 1, the pay floor goes from $5.15 an hour to $6.15.

If you’re divorced and receive alimony ... you can be more confident of your budget. The state is restoring its collection service.

If you pay or receive child support payments ... get ready for some changes. New rules will consider both parents’ incomes in calculating payments.

If you drive a car ... it’s not just gasoline that’s more expensive. Driver’s license fees are going up $3, and vehicle title registration and transfer fees more than double - from $4 to $10.

If you’re a speed demon ... slow down or pay the price. If you’re caught going more than 100 miles per hour, your driver’s license will be revoked for at least six months. And fines are doubled for violations 20 mph or more over the limit.

If your car runs on gasoline ... trade it in by 2013 or hope it can handle a state-mandated increase in ethanol content that kicks in then - from 10 percent alcohol to 20 percent (that’s 40 proof).

If you’re a professional driver ... watch your speed, good buddy. The Dimler Amendment, which keeps violations of up to 10 mph over the 55 mph limit secret from insurance companies, no longer applies to commercial license holders.

If you’re a kid learning to drive ... hang up and keep your mind on your driving. As of Jan. 1, it will be illegal to operate a cell phone while driving with an instructional permit or provisional license, except in an emergency.

If you’re a kid on a motorized scooter ... hit the road, Jack, even if you’re only 12. Starting Aug. 1, motor scooters will be banned from sidewalks but legal without a driver’s license on public streets.

If you’re taking the kids for a spin on the lake ... make sure they wear life jackets on deck if they’re under age 10. Until May 1, a first violation of the new Grant Allen Law brings only a warning; after that it’s a petty misdemeanor.

If you’re one of the “worst of the worst” sex offenders ... try moving to a more lenient state by Aug. 1, or face the possibility of living behind bars for the rest of your life.

If you’re a prison inmate ... the state is building new digs at the Faribault medium-security lockup as part of a $945 million capital investment bonding bill. The package also includes money for the Northstar commuter rail line, Minneapolis planetarium, Minnesota Zoo and scores of other projects.

If you’ve got a chronic case of sniffles ... it’s harder to pop Sudafed like penny candy. Decongestants laced with pseudoephedrine have been moved behind pharmacy counters and purchases are limited, all in an effort to choke off supplies of a key ingredient of the illegal stimulant methamphetamine.

If you think the cost of living is too high ... there’s nothing surer than death and, um, fees. Various health and human services fees, including those for birth and death certificates, are going up a total of $9.6 million.

If you’re injecting chemicals to (clap) PUMP YOU UP ... lay off those anabolic steroids, Hans, or you and Franz could spend big time building your bodies in the prison gym. As of Aug. 1, steroid penalties will match those for meth, opium and morphine - up to 20 years for selling to minors.

If you’re a pumped-up pro athlete ... your team now can test you randomly for drugs and alcohol without breaking Minnesota law.

If you’re a great horned owl ... or even a pretty good one, you should give a hoot that you’re now a protected species. That means game and fish laws apply to the people hunting you.

If you put off getting a permit to carry a handgun ... now’s the time to do it, before another judge shoots holes in the reenacted Personal Protection Act.

If you get a kick out of target practice ... here’s a law to make your day. Shooting ranges that meet noise standards can’t be forced to close or cut back operations by irate neighbors or city officials.

If you’re in the market for a Health Savings Account ... start saving. The state will give you the same tax break offered by the feds.

If you’re one of those poor souls afflicted by the Alternative Minimum Tax ... be charitable. Now you’ll get the full deduction.

If your five kids all want violin lessons ... get some ear plugs and sign ‘em up. The state has repealed the family cap of $2,000 for the K-12 education credit.

If you’re in the National Guard ... this might not be enough to make you re-up, but your in-state Guard pay is now exempt from state taxes.

If you’re a chilled, cooked shrimp or a hot Polish sausage sitting in the deli case ... you’re now exempt from the sales tax.

If you’re a teacher who has shelled out too much of your own money for crayons and construction paper ... here’s a little help: the $250 deduction for classroom materials has been extended through the 2005 tax year.

If you’re a resort owner ... don’t worry about losing your summer help and customers to early school starts. Beginning next year, schools won’t be allowed to open before Labor Day.

If you’re a schoolyard bully ... you may soon meet your match. Boards of education are ordered to draw up plans to stop bullying.

If you’re a laid-off teacher ... maybe you can stop scanning the want ads. Your district just got a pile of money, and you might be hired back.

If you’re a student genius ... here’s your chance to get recognition. The state is spending $11 million to identify gifted and talented children and set up special programs for them.

If you’re a kid with attitude problems ... the state wants to set you straight. The new education law urges teachers to promote “attentiveness, truthfulness, respect for authority, diligence, gratefulness, and patience.”

If you’re having a romantic interlude in the hot tub on your rental houseboat ... try to ignore this legally mandated posting: “NOTICE. This spa is exempt from state and local sanitary requirements that prevent disease transmission. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.” And have a nice evening.