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Ban on texting while driving, other laws kicking in

By The Associated Press
Posted 6:36AM on Wednesday 30th June 2010 ( 14 years ago )
ATLANTA - Starting Thursday, Georgia drivers caught checking e-mail, sending text messages or using the Internet while behind the wheel could face a $150 fine and get a point added to their driver's license.

The law is one of several that take effect on July 1. Teen drivers will also be barred from talking on a cell phone while driving.

As of Thursday, the governor or any former Georgia governor can perform marriage ceremonies. It will also be illegal for massage parlors to operate escort services or employ unlicensed massage therapists.

During a marathon session that lasted nearly five months, the Legislature passed more than 140 bills in the Senate and 80 bills in the House that take effect July 1, including:

A bill increasing the time the Supreme Court has to grant or deny review or pretrial proceedings in death penalty cases from 20 days to 45 days.

Legislation requiring the Georgia Department of Education to provide each school in the state access to a list of all registered sex offenders.

A bill allowing religious organizations to self-insure Georgia-registered motor vehicles for liability purposes, sparked by a small community of Mennonites in south Georgia which considers buying state-required car insurance a form of gambling.

A law establishing the ``Blue Alert'' system that would activate to help catch suspects wanted for a crime involving the death or serious injury or a peace officer, similar to the statewide alert system for missing disabled adults.

A law allowing members of the armed services and veterans who have been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder to have a notation of the diagnosis placed on their driver's license.

Other major laws that took effect this month include:

Effective June 2, a bill that allows daily outdoor watering for the purposes of planting, growing, managing or maintaining ground cover, trees, shrubs or other plants between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m. Outdoor water use for any purposes other than watering of plants, such as power washing or washing cars, is still restricted to the current odd/even watering schedule. Odd-numbered addresses can water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Even-numbered and unnumbered addresses are allowed to water on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Effective June 2, Georgia became the last state to require adults in pickup trucks to wear seat belts.

Effective June 3, a person would be allowed to keep native wildlife, not including protected species, that has been accidentally killed by a motor vehicle if the person notifies the Department of Natural Resources or a law enforcement officer within 48 hours after taking possession of the animal.

Effective June 4, any person who is not legally prohibited from possessing a gun may carry a weapon on his/her property and inside his/her home, motor vehicle or place of business without a carry license. Licensed gun owners will also be allowed to carry their weapons into the parking lots of colleges, courthouses and jails.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2010/6/230428

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