It’s a new year, and you know what that means: coming up with resolutions, giving up on resolutions, and new laws taking effect. While most of the new rules and regulations appear to make sense, there are some strange ones that will really make you wonder how they even came up in a social setting, let alone made into law. Not only are these weird laws interesting, they might just put you in jail (depending on how strange you are, that is). Let’s just say that taking selfies with tigers is a thing of the past. It is in New York, at least.
The Wacky
California – Restaurants are now allowed to let customers sit with their dogs while dining in an outdoor patio space.
Nevada – Teenage drivers can have their license suspended for missing too much class.
Washington – It is illegal to throw out food or anything else that is compostable.
Oregon – Sellers of foreclosed homes must tell potential buyers if there’s any possibility that the home was used as a meth lab.
California – Plastic bags are banned from being used in stores, unless they contain fruits, vegetables, or meats.
New York – It is now illegal to take a selfie with a tiger or any other big cat.
The Normal, But Worth Knowing
21 States – Minimum wage is increasing in 21 different states across the country.
Iowa – “Consumption” with “possession and purchasing” of alcohol are added to the list of punishable offenses for people who are under the age of 21.
New York – Residents must recycle their own e-waste.
Michigan – The legal limit of intoxication for operating a boat is now the same as operating a car (.08 BAC).
Illinois – Teachers and school administrators must investigate claims of cyberbullying that extend outside of the classroom.
Massachusetts – Residents can now order wine online directly from vineyards outside of the state.
California – Universities who accept state-subsidized financial aid must enforce a new “affirmative consent standard” to help prohibit on-campus sexual assault.
Illinois – Medical marijuana can be used to treat epilepsy and seizure disorders.
(via CBS News, Distractify)
What are we supposed to do with our time now that we can’t take any more tiger selfies? I guess that’s only in New York. There have to be photogenic big cats in other parts of the country, right? It’s time for New Jersey to step up and fix what their neighboring state destroyed.