Weird New Laws of 2013
As 2012 draws to an end, residents in states across the country prepare to welcome the New Year, but people should also be aware of their states' new laws that take effect in 2013.
Every year, lawmakers in every state make changes to existing laws or pass new laws that address a problem that their constituents had. Some are warranted, but some make you scratch your head.
One of those laws is Public Act 97-743 in Illinois. According to the new law, any person riding a motorcycle and popping a wheelie while speeding will be subjected to a $1,000 fine when they are caught by police.
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But motorcyclists in the state will be able to go through red lights. A new law that will go into effect in 2013 stipulates that since motorcycles are sometimes not able to trip the magnetic sensors at traffic lights, they will be able to pass through the light.
The new law states that after a "reasonable" amount of time waiting at a red light, the motorcycle will be able to proceed if there are no other oncoming cars. The law will not cover any motorcycles traveling in cities where the population is over 2 million people.
For residents owning cats in Wellington, Kansas, they will only be able to have up to four cats in a household.
"Those are cats that go to the animal clinic, they're there for the allotted time and then, unfortunately, they are euthanized," Tracy Heath, Wellington's Police Chief, told the Wellington Daily News.
The law was passed in response to the 231 cats that were sent to the city's animal clinics in 2012.
One new law of 2013 will be a first. In Concord, Mass., plastic bottles will be officially banned, making the town the first in the nation to make selling plastic bottle illegal.
For drivers in Florida starting the first day of the New Year, it will not be against the law to warn other drivers of police speed traps by flashing your lights.
