More than 400 new Louisiana laws take effect with the start of August, The Associated Press reports. The Louisiana Legislature passed the new regulations earlier this year.
As of today, penalties for not wearing a seatbelt in a car will carry heftier fines, sex offenders won’t be allowed careers in door-to-door sales and children’s lemonade stands will be shielded from ticketing.
Hunters looking to vary their wardrobe will be able to wear fluorescent “blaze pink” as an alternative to the traditional orange. Dancers in strip clubs will have to be at least 21 years old. Underage drinkers won’t face jail time.
And Louisiana becomes the first state in the nation to protect police, firefighters and emergency medical crews under its hate-crime laws. As the Capital City still mourns the shooting deaths of three law enforcement officers, Louisiana’s “Blue Lives Matter” law will take effect. Prosecutors will be able to seek stronger penalties when people in those professions are intentionally targeted because of their jobs.
Also as of today, state agencies will be banned from asking about job applicants’ criminal histories before interviews, a so-called “ban the box” law. New limits will be placed on drone use around schools and correctional facilities. Hospitals will have to make greater efforts to give people information about how to properly care for patients who are discharged.
