NEWS

20 new laws Arizonans should know about

Alia Beard Rau
The Republic | azcentral.com
The Legislature passed hundreds of bills in its whirlwind 81-day session, and Gov. Doug Ducey has signed 324 into law.

During a whirlwind 81-day session, the Arizona Legislature and Gov. Doug Ducey pushed through a historically lean $9.1 billion budget and 324 new laws.

Political insiders describe the session as a honeymoon period for the newly elected Ducey, with the Republican-led Legislature giving him much of what he wanted in the budget and avoiding much of what he didn't want when it came to other legislation.

Some of the most controversial bills, from guns in public buildings to state sovereignty battles, never made it to his desk. An anticipated rehash of last year's fight over Senate Bill 1062 and religious rights was never introduced, leaving Arizona largely shielded from the unflattering national spotlight that's focused on the state in recent years.

Other than the budget, there wasn't a defining issue of the session. But there was plenty that will affect Arizonans' day-to-day activities.

RELATED:7 new Arizona laws parents should know

Most of the new laws went into effect July 3.

Here are 20 of the more impactful new laws:

Social issues

Reversing abortions: SB1318, among other things, requires a doctor to tell a woman receiving a medication-induced abortion that the procedure could potentially be reversed. Arizona was the first in the nation to pass such a bill, which was based on model legislation by the national anti-abortion group Americans United for Life. The controversial law will not go into effect on July 3 as scheduled. The state and a group of medical professionals that sued Arizona over the law have agreed to delay its implementation until federal courts have a chance to rule on the matter.

Protecting plastic bags: SB 1241 prohibits cities, towns and counties from charging for or banning the use of "auxiliary containers" such as plastic grocery bags. Bisbee is the only Arizona city with a plastic-bag ban, although other Arizona cities were considering similar measures.

Release the felines: SB 1260 exempts cats from having to be held at the county pound for at least 72 hours if the cat is sterilized and will be returned to the area where it was captured. Bill sponsor Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, has said the goal is to reduce the cat population by allowing trap-neuter-and-release groups to work more quickly.

Travel ID: HB 2609 allows Arizona to develop a federally compliant driver's license or ID card that residents will have the option of purchasing. Starting as soon as January, the federal government will no longer accept current Arizona licenses as proof of identification at airport security check points for domestic flights. The tougher ID requirements are already in effect for entry to some federal facilities.

Protecting hunters: Under HB 2399, the Game and Fish Commission can revoke the hunting license of a hunter who harasses another hunter.

Studying body cameras: SB 1300 to allow and regulate police using body cameras was amended to establish a study committee that will examine their effectiveness. The committee must make its recommendation by the end of 2015.

Good for business

Expanding breweries: SB 1030 allows companies to keep a microbrewery license until they produce 6.2 million gallons of beer a year per location, up from 1.24 million gallons. It also allows them to have up to seven bar or restaurant locations.

Ride sharing: HB 2135 establishes regulations for ride-sharing networks such as Uber and Lyft, including requiring them to carry insurance, conduct criminal background checks on drivers and inspect vehicles.

Lab tests: HB 2645 allows individuals to get any lab test from a licensed clinical lab without a doctor's order.

Official state metal: Although its been one of the five C's for decades, SB 1441 makes copper the official state metal.

Money, money, money

Gas tax: Drivers will continue to pay a penny-per-gallon tax on gasoline to help businesses clean up leaks from underground tanks under HB Bill 2636. The bill extends the tax, which was first adopted in 1990, for another eight years.

Tightening the budget belt: The historically lean $9.1 billion budget included a number of cuts, including $9 million in savings by limiting low-income parents to a one-year lifetime benefit from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families cash assistance program. Currently, the state has a two-year limit. No other state has such a short benefit.

Build the fence: SB 1271 allows the Joint Border Security Advisory Committee to use $264,400 it collected in private donations to build a physical or virtual border fence as close as practicable to the Arizona-Mexico border.

Protecting kids: HB 2517 allocates $900,000 a year in lottery revenue to the Internet Crimes Against Children Enforcement Fund, and $100,000 to the Victims' Rights Enforcement Fund.

Aggressive panhandlers: SB 1094 makes it a crime to solicit money within 15 feet of a bank or ATM, to touch another person without his or her consent while attempting to solicit money or obstruct the passage of the person being solicited.

More license plates: The state will add more special license plates to the more than 50 current special plates. New this year will be plates supporting professional golf, professional hockey clubs, firefighters and community colleges.

At school

Civics lessons: Arizona became the first state to require high-school students to pass a civics test in order to graduate under House Bill 2064. Starting with the class of 2017, students will have to correctly answer at least 60 of the 100 questions on the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization civics test.

Justifying junk food: Senate Bill 1267 allows schools to have fundraisers "that include the sale of foods of minimal nutritional value."

Reprieve from testing: SB 1191 eliminates the requirement that seniors pass a standardized test in order to graduate. It goes into effect immediately, but only applies to the 2014-15 through 2017-18 school years.

Back to driving school: HB2308 allows drivers to more often wipe their record clean by attending defensive-driving school. The new law allows drivers to attend school every 12 months, instead of the current every 24 months.

7 new Arizona laws parents should know