Across the country, as the clocks turn to midnight, there will be quite a few unusual laws that will take effect. For many, the new laws will not be common knowledge, but we will try to bring a couple of them to light here.
One of the new laws, which limits the amount of cats in one household to four, takes effect in Wellington, Kansas. Wellington Police Chief Tracy Heath told the Wellington Daily News that the law was created after 231 cats were sent to animal shelters in 2012.
“Those are cats that go to the animal clinic, they’re there for the allotted time and then, unfortunately, they are euthanized,” Heath said.
In the state of Illinois, Public Act 97-743 will take effect at midnight. Breaking this law comes with a $1,000 fine. The law bans popping a wheelie on a motorcycle while speeding. On the other side of things, the state is now permitting motorcycles to go through red lights.
The reason for this is that a motorcycle is too small for the magnetic sensors on a traffic light to pick up and let the light know a vehicle is waiting. A new bill says that after a ‘reasonable’ time, the motorcycle is permitted to drive through the red light if no one else is coming from the opposite direction. The law is not active in cities where the population is over two million residents.
The state has also created a law that bans people from selling, distributing or possessing shark fins.
The first town in the country to outlaw plastic bottles is that of Concord, Massachusetts as of 12:01 a.m.
Beginning January 1, flashing your headlights at other motorists to warn of a police sped trap will not be illegal.
One new law in California allows driverless vehicles on the roads of the state. The only catch is that a human must be in the vehicle’s passenger seat for a vehicle driven by computer. Another law permits California drivers to show officers their proof of insurance using their phone.
“What a wonderful thing if you have your proof of insurance all the time,” state resident Mike Dobson said. “Maybe we can have our driver’s license on there, you know?”
Torbett’s Grease Law in North Carolina makes it illegal to steal unused cooking oil. The crime is a misdemeanor, but could increase to a felony if the value of the stolen grease is over $1,000.
Anyone who is caught releasing a pig into the wild in Kentucky will be hit with a fine beginning in the New Year.