New state laws on the books

Listen up, Texans. 2010 brings new laws that could affect you.

If you’re a teenager under 18, you will need a permission slip signed by your parents if you want to go tanning. If you plan on living on a college campus, you have to prove you’ve been vaccinated for bacterial meningitis. And retailers selling cigarettes in 2010 must start selling cigarettes that self-extinguish themselves after they are left unattended.

What new laws affect you, a North Lake College student?

Vaccinated
Even though NLC doesn’t offer on-campus living, if you transfer to a university and want to live on campus, you will be required to show that you have been vaccinated for bacterial meningitis.
After state health statistics showed that since 2002 there have been more than 500 cases of bacterial meningitis along with 53 deaths, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the legislation to state legislators.

Lights out
If your electricity is wrongly shut off by your landlord, there’s now hope for you. The new law gives you more rights to battle them and keep you out of the dark.
Also, if you are involved in a sex crime or domestic violence case on the rented property, you can break your lease. Old laws only let you break your lease if the incident was documented and the offender was on the same lease.

Testing during pregnancy
It’s now required that health-care providers test pregnant women for syphilis, hepatitis B and HIV during their first visit. A second test must be given during the third trimester or when the woman is admitted for delivery.
The Department of State Health Services hopes the law will protect newborns by treating the woman during pregnancy or the baby after delivery.

School Zones
It is now illegal to use a handheld phone in a school zone, however authorities can only enforce the law if there are signs announcing the ban before each school zone.

Texas isn’t the only state enforcing new laws. Across the United States, more than 40,000 new laws took effect at the turn of the year due to the 2009 legislative session. New Hampshire, Oregon and Illinois banned texting while driving. California is the first state to take action against the use of artificial trans fat in restaurants. California is also enforcing a new anti-paparazzi law that will allow celebrities to sue media outlets for invasion of privacy.

For more information on new Texas laws that have taken affect, check out www.namic.org/stateLaws/09/texas.asp