New laws go into effect Monday

ATLANTA - The Legislature spent much of last session passing laws in response to horrific events - terrorist attacks and the discovery of hundreds of discarded corpses at a north Georgia crematory. Many of those laws go into effect on Monday, July 1, a typical start date for legislation. <br> <br> The crematory law makes it a felony to abandon a corpse and requires toe tags to be placed on corpses intended for cremation, not just those intended for burial. <br> <br> The crematory law, one of 150 approved last session, closes a loophole that allowed the Tri-State Crematory in Walker County to operate for years without a state inspection. <br> <br> Officials say more than 300 bodies sent to the rural crematory were instead dumped around the property, and the abuse wasn&#39;t discovered for years because the crematory was not open to the public and therefore not subject to regular inspections. The new law requires periodic inspections of all crematories and allows for random surprise inspections. <br> <br> In response to September 11, lawmakers also passed a spate of bills designed to tighten security or encourage military service. <br> <br> Among the terrorism-related measures taking effect Monday is a new law making it easier for police to carry out wiretaps or electronic surveillance. The current law scarcely addresses the use of wiretapping in national security situations, and it does not make much provision for monitoring cell phone calls, either. <br> <br> The most sweeping responses to September 11 have already been implemented. Last month, new laws took effect that stiffen penalties for domestic terrorism and broaden state powers to declare quarantines in response to a bioterror attack. <br> <br> A patriotic spirit also prompted the Legislature to reward veterans with tax breaks and perks, many of which take effect in July.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/6/192992