Raleigh — The start of December means dozens of North Carolina's new laws take effect, ranging from stiffer domestic violence penalties to banning school-bus drivers from using cell phones. The laws will:

make it a misdemeanor, with a minimum $100 fine, for school-bus drivers who talk on the phone while driving

make it harder for speeding motorists to get off with a lesser charge

revoke the driver's license of someone who provides alcohol to a minor

set rules so motorcyclists can go through a red light that won't turn green because the motorcycle is too light to trigger a sensor in the road

create new felonies with which police can charge people who shoplift high-end merchandise or conspire to steal multiple times from a store with the intent to resell the goods

make it a felony with possible prison time for someone who willfully kills a police or seeing-eye dog

create a low-grade felony for anyone who vandalizes or defaces a grave marker, tombstone or other cemetery monument, no matter how small the damage

prohibit alcohol inhalers, which use a mixture of vaporized alcohol and oxygen to put alcohol directly into the bloodstream

make it easier to prosecute residential mortgage fraud by defining the practice and creating tougher punishments for repeat offenders

make it a higher grade of misdemeanor to kill an animal through intentional starvation
create an automobile "chop shop" law that makes it a felony for someone to disassemble a car
that was illegally obtained or purchase one with an altered identification number

order law enforcement to turn over copies of all crime investigation records to prosecutors so that they can be made available to defense lawyers

make it a felony when abusers ordered by a judge to stay away from their victims have a weapon if they violate the order

grant victims of trafficking temporary access to human services and legal aid even if they aren't legal state residents

11/30/2007 11:45:14 AM

well shit.

http://www.brentroad.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=504321

oops.

11/30/2007 11:47:46 AM