New Laws to Start Aug 1st in Minnesota

Just as certain as the Vikings returning to Mankato for training camp is the fact that there are a handful of new laws passed by the Minnesota Legislature that are set to take effect on August 1st.

According to a story in the Pioneer Press, there are around 10 new laws set to start across Minnesota on August 1st. They include new limitations on police automated license plate readers, extra fines for people who repeatedly text while driving, new penalties for inmates and patients at the state security hospital who assault workers at the facility, and others. You can check out the list HERE.

I always find it interesting that the Legislature can find a dozen or so new laws to pass each session. It makes me wonder how it is we've existed as a society as long as we have without having had all these new laws on the books. Now, certainly, some of them make sense -- I'm not against all new laws, necessarily -- but it seems like, at this pace, somewhere down the road in the not-too-distant future, that EVERYTHING will be illegal.

I mean, think about it. Since Minnesota became a state in 1858, our state Legislature had been busy passing laws. Have you seen the state statutes section of the Minnesota state website? It's pretty involved! And, we just keep adding laws, revisions to laws, attorney general opinions on the law, and who knows what else to our state statutes each and every year. Like I said, eventually, it only seems reasonable to expect that NOTHING will be allowed; everything will be regulated!

I'm only kidding...kind of. It's probably not accurate to say that EVERYTHING will be outlawed down the road; I'm guessing that all our state and local taxes will still be around!