Teens Beware: New State Laws Target You
WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, July 1) -- Young people are the focus of a range of new state laws taking effect Tuesday.
In Louisiana, if you under 21 and want to gamble, you now have fewer options. People under 21 are banned from playing video poker and the state lottery. Until now, anyone above 18 had been allowed.
Teenagers who want to operate a personal watercraft in Virginia now have to be at least 16 or have certification.
For those under 16 in Kentucky, wedded bliss will have to wait. Marriage is no longer an option, unless the girl is pregnant or a judge endorses the union. Teens who break the law also face tougher penalties.
Smoking teenagers in Colorado and Indiana are facing higher fines. The Rocky Mountain state has doubled its fine to $100 and Indiana's fine jumped tenfold to $200.
Also in Indiana, an incident involving cats set on fire by teenagers prompted a new law against animal cruelty that is punishable by up to a year in prison.
But lawmakers didn't forget adults in their new laws. In Oregon, it is now a felony for parents who hit their spouses in front of their children.
In New Mexico, lawmakers prohibited all adults except parents and legal guardians from buying alcohol for minors.
But not all the laws are restrictive. In Maine, a ban on dueling was lifted from the books and Mississippi pubs can now brew their own beer, but only for people of legal age.
CNN's Kyoko Altman contributed to this report.
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