Look at all the great laws Louisiana passed while NO is still a shell

[thepurpose]

BATON ROUGE - Lighting up in a car with young children onboard could get you a $150 ticket or 24 hours of community service beginning Tuesday.

The effort to protect children from second-hand smoke is one of about 440 laws passed in the recent legislative session that went into effect at the stroke of midnight. The list also includes cracking down on adults who buy booze for underage drinkers, toughening penalties for drivers who run traffic signals and prohibiting a child under 5 from riding on a motorcycle.

House Bill 1010 by Rep. Gary Smith, D-Norco, makes it unlawful for a driver or passenger to smoke in a vehicle if a child is in a booster seat or other child restraint safety devices. Smith told lawmakers that the bill would affect driving and smoking with kids up to age 6 or 7, the early years when they are most susceptible to asthma and lung problems. But Highway Safety Commission Executive Director James Champagne said the state's child safety restraint laws require youths up to age 12 to be buckled up, so the smoking ban would extend to that age group, too.


Smith's bill would allow a police officer to stop a vehicle and issue a ticket if anyone in a vehicle is smoking - even with the windows open. The penalty is a $150 fine or a minimum of 24 hours of community service work. The violation would not go on the driver's record for insurance purposes.

Another new law designed to protect minors is Sen. James David Cain's Senate Bill 340 which expands the state's "harmful to minors" law to prohibit the sale or rental of video games that feature raunchy sexual content to anyone under 18. The law requires the clerk to demand an identification from the customer or face a fine of $100 to $2,000, up to a year in jail or both.

Two high-profile issues from the spring session will go on the law books Tuesday but may not become effective for years - if ever.

One is Senate Bill 33 by Sen. Ben Nevers, D-Bogalusa, a strict anti-abortion bill that allows the procedure only to save the life of the mother or prevent "a substantial risk of death ... or serious permanent impairment" to vital organs. The other is Senate Bill 25 by Sen. Cain, R-Dry Creek, creating the state crime of burning the American flag.

Although both are law they require federal action to trigger enforcement.

Nevers' bill says the abortion ban will become effective only if the U.S. Supreme Court reverse in whole or in part the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortions or if Congress and the states adopt a federal constitutional ban on abortion.

Nevers' bill calls for a sentence of at least one year and up to 10 years in prison, and a fine of at least $10,000 and as much as $100,000 for those who perform or help perform abortions. The woman who has the abortion would not be subject to the penalties.

Cain's anti-flag-burning bill, which imposes a fine of up to $1,000 and a maximum of 90 days in jail or both, can only be put in effect if the nation adopts a federal constitutional amendment to ban the practice.

During the legislative session, which ended June 19, lawmakers passed 873 bills, including 14 constitutional amendments that now go to the voters for approval. Of the 859 bills that crossed Gov. Kathleen Blanco's desk, she signed 850.

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