NCSL Notes Quirky New Laws for 2008

The National Conference of State Legislatures took note of several new laws going into effect with the new year in several states, including Minnesota.

The new Minnesota statutes cited by NCSL include:

• HF1316/SF1085, which puts new restrictions on the sale and recycling of products containing mercury. This was a bipartisan bill, with several members of both parties counted among its authors.
• HB122, which contained a clause requiring American flags sold in Minnesota to be made in America. What about those lapel pins, though?
• HF2245, which is actually quite an interesting case. The bill as a whole was an omnibus education spending bill, but it was a clause requiring that school bus seats adhere to certain dimensions — at least 15 inches of cushion depth and at least 20 inches tall — that earned it the “quirky” tag. I for one had no idea this was an issue. The bill experienced quite a few twists and turns on its way into law, with several amendments passed over the fence from House to Senate and vice versa, as well as several line-item vetoes from Governor Pawlenty.

So if you are a school bus cushion, mercury, or a Chinese-made American flag, watch out — your time has come.