New 2004 laws: Watch your tongue, keep left lane clear

The new year has arrived, so stop hogging the left lane on Illinois interstates. Don’t try to sell a used mattress as new in Tennessee. And be extra careful not to call in a false fire alarm in Delaware.

Jan. 1 means new laws take effect in many states. Some are new additions to the criminal code, while others are more about “do” than “do not.” Poor senior citizens in Pennsylvania now have expanded drug benefits, for example.

Identity theft drew close attention in many states in 2003. Now New Mexico, New York and Delaware require that store receipts contain only a few digits from the customer’s credit card number.

Connecticut offers new protection to crime victims, allowing them to use a substitute mailing address if they want to keep their home address a secret from stalkers or assailants.

Responding to a flood of sex abuse accusations against priests nationwide, Illinois extended the statute of limitations in such cases so prosecutors have 20 years after the victim turns 18 to bring charges. Victims have up to 10 years to bring a civil suit. Since the scandal broke two years ago, a few other states have toughened their laws on reporting child sex abuse and extended statutes of limitations.

Keeping tabs on profiling

Illinois legislators, worried about racial profiling, now make state troopers record the motorist’s race at each stop. A black lawmaker from Chicago, state Rep. Lovana Jones, said she knew firsthand the need.

Jones said she was detained without explanation by a police officer for 45 minutes. “It’s a horrible feeling. All the time the lady was talking to me, she had her hand on her gun,” the legislator said.

In the past four years, 25 states have enacted laws on racial profiling, and most have required police to document the race of the drivers they stop, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

John Cluney, shop manager at Original Skin in Springfield, Ill., no longer will be able to offer tongue-splitting services to clients. Under a new law that takes effect today, only dentists and doctors will be able to perform the procedure that splits tongues into reptile-like forks.

In Delaware, a new law cracks down on false fire alarms: Anyone testing or demonstrating an alarm system must first notify the local fire department. Repeat offenders can be fined up to $500.

A scam apparently popular in Tennessee — selling used mattresses as factory rejects or close-out models — persuaded legislators to require large tags on each mattress announcing whether it is new or not.

In Michigan, after parents complained about sexually explicit magazines displayed where kids could see them, the state now requires store owners to conceal part of the magazine cover or put them in a separate area.

Illinois lawmakers are worried about youths who, bored with nose rings, are splitting their tongues. A new law allows allows dentists to perform the procedure, not tattoo shops and the like. The hope is that the rule will keep most youngsters from ever having it done.

“We’re choosing safety over cosmetics,” said state Rep. David Miller.

Driving restrictions

That centerpiece of American life — the car — got new attention, too.

In Florida, drivers 80 and over must pass a vision test to renew their licenses. Speed limits in Oregon are now clear to be raised to 70 mph (from 65), once a study is completed on potential effects. Georgia begins a statewide database of insured drivers, so no insurance card will be necessary. And Illinois makes it illegal to drive in the left lane of an interstate highway for more than one-half mile. (Violators can be fined $79).

Colorado hopes to help small businesses obtain less expensive insurance by letting them form pools to seek lower premiums; Pennsylvania expanded its prescription-drug assistance programs for seniors.