By William Haupt III | The Center Square Jan 6, 2020
Whiteaster | Shutterstock.com
If you have 10,000 regulations, you destroy all respect
for the law.”
– Winston Churchill
Welcome to 2020. New Year's means bowl games,
celebrations, resolutions and, of course, new laws. There were 40,000 new state
laws this year. Even Congress rushed to the finish line with a few mandates.
Along with the usual nanny state laws, this year many states crossed forbidden
frontiers with a few good ones, stupid ones and many not worth the paper they
were printed on.
The “do nothing but attack Trump Congress” found
consensus to pass a law to fine truckers and bus drivers using hand-held cell
phones $2,700. The Trump administration forced Congress to set a date for
complying with Homeland Security’s “Real ID ACT”, passed after the 911 attacks.
It had set strict standards for IDs to board airplanes, but few states
complied. Now they have no choice. Homeland Security gave them until Oct. 1 to
issue new licenses, or they’re “grounded.”
Air travelers must have a driver's license that complies
with the Real ID Act. States are required to verify identity before issuing the
new licenses. These new IDs must have a star on the upper right-hand corner and
must be difficult to alter. David Pekoske, head of the TSA, said; "These
security measures will drastically improve air security." But will they
improve the lengthy check-in process?
The National Conference of State Legislatures tracked a
number of states that addressed illegal immigration. Alabama passed a law to
require all employers who do government business to use federal E-Verify to
check immigration status of all employees. Georgia will require companies with
500 workers to E-Verify the legality of all new hires. But one critic does not
like it. Paul Bridges, an Uvalde onion-farmer, says "It is destroying
Georgia's economy and our social network in Georgia."
A South Carolina law will pull the license of any business
that does not check all new hires' legal status with E-verify. In Tennessee,
businesses must E-Verify all employees are legal except for the companies with
fewer than five workers. But In California, the tone of new immigration laws is
a bit different, naturally. They have new laws that grant free healthcare to
every child brought into their state illegally. Their Dream Act will now
provide scholarships and aide to all illegal students.
“In our state we want everyone to be treated equally,
regardless of their legal status.”
– California Gov. Gavin Newsom
California continues to lead in nanny state lawmaking. If
you want alligator boots, or a crocodile handbag or a fur coat, you are out of
luck. They restored the Obamacare mandate but are paying for it. The state will
foot the bill for over half the people? Passengers cannot smoke a joint while
in buses, taxis, limousines or campers. No new oil pipelines will be allowed
statewide. Schools can’t deny meals to students who can’t pay for them. And all
rent increases will be capped at 5 percent a year.
“Our goal is to make California the most innovative place
to live in the country.”
– Gavin Newsom
In California, historic accomplishments of LBGTs must be
taught in public schools. The law bans access to websites, novels or religious
works that reflect negatively on gays. California also has a new law that
forbids employers to discriminate against all workers with racial hairstyles,
such as dreadlocks, cornrows or braids. Bill sponsor Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los
Angeles, claimed dress codes and grooming standards discriminate against
African Americans.
"For us, it is a symbol of who we are and our
confidence! We feel more confident with our hair styled this way.”
– Sen. Holly Mitchell
Illinois and Michigan joined the states where
recreational cannabis is legal. This year, you can no longer refuse to hire
someone who tests positive for marijuana in Nevada. Now New Hampshire allows a
change on driver's licenses if a person is not sure what sex they are? If they can’t
see or choose their sex or which sex they prefer, they can opt for an X instead
of an M or F.
“This is a step closer to decreasing stigmatization for
all individual sexual preferences.”
– Devon Chaffee, ACLU
In Hawaii, fast food joints must offer something healthy
to drink with a child's meal, including low-fat milk, water or fruit juice
without added sugar. Gov. David Ige claims the law is intended to "reduce
bad habits that have caused a huge increase in obesity among Hawaiians over the
past 30 years.”
In Alabama, a new law limiting who can testify as an
expert witness aimed to curtail "junk science" theorists just took
effect. Oregon shoppers can no longer put anything in plastic bags except fish
or meat. In Delaware, civil unions between anyone are now legal, and those who
wish to do this enjoy all of the tax benefits and protections of married
couples. But only men and women can marry?
Georgia golf cart owners beware. There are steep safety
requirements for drivers who steer off of the green. Carts must have
headlights, brake-lights, horns, brakes, seat belts and child restraints.
“These have been reclassified as vehicles, and they must
be titled and tagged.”
– Jeff Chapman
Nine states will raise the minimum wage: Arizona,
Illinois, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Colorado, Ohio, Vermont and Florida. San
Francisco raised its minimum wage to $10.24 an hour, $3 above the federal
minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
Hubert Humphrey said, “There’s not enough jails,
policemen or courts to enforce all the laws the people don’t want.” There were
so many useless nanny state laws passed this year it would take a thesis longer
than "War and Peace" to list them.
But there were a few state legislatures that actually did
make an attempt to prove their elected officials were addressing their
constituents’ desires.
In Nevada, the fine for open meetings violations went up
to $500. Background checks are required on teachers before license renewal.
Nevada enacted a new elderly emergency alert system. North Carolina will
confine minor offenders in county jails rather than state prisons. Penalties
for raping a child in Tennessee are now a minimum of 25 years. Those who fire
guns into occupied homes will get lengthy jail sentences. Nevada and
Pennsylvania passed “get tough” texting while driving laws.
Alabama outlawed most abortions and Georgia, Kentucky,
Mississippi, Louisiana and Ohio banned abortions after six weeks. Missouri’s
bill bans abortions when a heartbeat is detected. In a number of states
restrictive voting laws take effect this year. Indiana, Georgia, Kansas, Virginia,
Wisconsin, and Tennessee will require a photo ID to vote in every election.
Laws passed in Alaska and South Carolina are pending appeal. A total of 35
states this year will require voters to show identification.
In 85 AD, Tacitus said, “More laws make more criminals.”
We’ve got so many laws, it is impossible not to break at least one an hour. We
know if we violate the laws of God, since He only gave us 10 to remember. Laws
should be like the drugs we take when we are ill. We take only what we need to
cure us. If we abuse them, they will hurt us. We only need enough good laws to
protect us from the bad guys; but not so many they turn the good guys into bad
guys. For every new law we pass, we need to nullify five old ones.
“It usually takes a hundred years to make a law, and
then, after it has done its work, it usually takes another hundred years to get
rid of it.”
– Henry Ward Beecher
Contributing Columnist William Haupt III is a retired
professional journalist, author, and citizen legislator in California for over
40 years. He got his start working to approve California Proposition 13.
