NEW YEAR'S USHERS IN NEW LAWS; WILSON HIGHLIGHTS GUN CRACKDOWN.Byline: Paul Hefner Daily News Sacramento Bureau From a ban on smoking in bars to the elimination of overtime after working an eight-hour day eight-hour day: see labor law. , Californians will experience the effect of hundreds of new laws New Laws: see Las Casas, Bartolomé de. Jan. 1. On Tuesday, Gov. Pete Wilson For others named Pete Wilson, see . Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American Republican politician from California. Wilson served as the thirty-sixth Governor of California (1991–1999), the culmination of more than three decades in the public arena that chose to tout just one of the 951 bills he signed into law this year - the ``10-20-life'' sentencing law for using guns during crimes. `` `10-20-life' is the toughest anti-gun crime legislation in the nation,'' Wilson said. ``And California law California Law consists of 29 codes, covering various subject areas, the State Constitution and Statutes. See also
The law calls for offenders to spend an extra 10 years in prison for using a firearm firearm, device consisting essentially of a straight tube to propel shot, shell, or bullets by the explosion of gunpowder. Although the Chinese discovered gunpowder as early as the 9th cent., they did not develop firearms until the mid-14th cent. during a crime. The penalty jumps to 20 years if the weapon is fired, and to 25 years to life if someone is wounded severely. A number of other bills making things more difficult for criminals were signed into law as well. One increases the penalties for injuring victims during rape attempts. Another makes it easier to seize property from drug traffickers. But it wasn't just criminals that got knocked around in the state capitol. Smokers and tobacco companies took hits as well. Bars and card clubs, which had been exempt from the state's ban on workplace smoking, forfeit their special status Thursday. That will force smokers to choose between having their cigarette and staying indoors. A last-ditch effort to continue the exemption stalled in the Legislature. Cigarette makers fared no better than their customers. Measures were approved that cleared the way for lawsuits by cancer patients and state health officials. Lawmakers also put in place a new prohibition on cigarette billboard advertising near schools and playgrounds. Assemblyman as·sem·bly·man n. A man who is a member of a legislative assembly. assemblyman Noun pl -men a member of a legislative assembly Noun 1. Wally Knox, D-Los Angeles, said he thinks many people will remember lawmakers less for what they accomplished last year than what they didn't: specifically, failing to keep overtime pay for workers after an eight-hour day. The eight-hour overtime rule has been in place for women since 1918 and for men since 1980. But the state's Industrial Welfare Commission voted in April to require employers to pay overtime only after workers clock more than 40 hours in one week. The change, which affects nonunion nonunion /non·union/ (non-un´yun) failure of the ends of a fractured bone to unite. non·un·ion n. The failure of a fractured bone to heal normally. workers, will take effect Thursday. Wilson and others said the move is necessary to keep the state competitive and to allow more employees to work under flexible schedules. New Laws Most of the 959 new laws approved by the state Legislature A state legislature may refer to a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. The following legislatures exist in the following political subdivisions: TOBACCO: Smoking becomes illegal in bars and card clubs, which until now have been exempt from the ban on workplace smoking. A move to extend the exemption died in the Legislature. OVERTIME: Businesses won't have to pay overtime to non-union workers who clock more than an 8-hour day. Instead, overtime kicks in after workers spend more than 40 hours on the job during any one week. TAXES: The state income tax credit for dependents increases by $50 this year. ELECTRICITY: Customers will be able to buy power from the utility of their choice. The deregulation Deregulation The reduction or elimination of government power in a particular industry, usually enacted to create more competition within the industry. Notes: Traditional areas that have been deregulated are the telephone and airline industries. does not apply to customers served by municipal utilities, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is the largest municipal utility in the United States, serving 3.9 million residents in 2006. It was founded in 1902 to deliver water and electricity supplies to residents and businesses in Los Angeles. . LICENSES: Fees for lifetime hunting and fishing licenses will drop. For example, a 30-year-old fisherman who would have paid $830 can get the same license for $495. INTERNET: Politicians will be required to provide on-line copies of their campaign contributions. State agencies will be required to accept complaints via the Internet and to post the status of licenses held by contractors and real estate salespeople. CLONING BAN: If junior makes a genetic copy of himself for the science fair, he'll face a $250,000 fine. BODY PIERCING body piercing Body image A disruption of a mucocutaneous surface with jewelry or dangling artifices. See Tattoos. : Minors will need permission from their parents to get new holes poked. TEEN DRIVERS: Young drivers will have to stay off the road between midnight and 5 a.m. and spend more time in driver's training to get a license. RED LIGHTS: The minimum fine for running a red light jumps to $270 - up from $103. CAR ALARMS: Cars with blaring alarms could be towed away sooner, after 20 minutes. Police formerly had to wait 45 minutes before impounding im·pound tr.v. im·pound·ed, im·pound·ing, im·pounds 1. To confine in or as if in a pound: capture and impound stray dogs. 2. vehicles. PARKING: Drivers can be cited for stopping in the cross-hatched areas next to parking spaces for the handicapped. BOATERS: Jet-skiers can't come within 100 feet of another boat to jump its wake. The minimum age for driving a power boat increases from 12 to 16. WILD PIGS: You won't need a permit to kill a wild boar if the animal poses a threat to property. CAPTION(S): box BOX: NEW LAWS (SEE TEXT) Dionisio Munoz/Daily News |
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