July Opens With Bevy of New Georgia Laws

89 new laws take effect today, or ahead on January 1st. They include the massive overhaul of Georgia’s health and social service agencies. Identified by lawmakers and Governor Sonny Perdue as lacking in several areas, especially mental health, the restructuring begins today. Essentially three agencies will now handle the work previously done by two--adding one dedicated to mental health delivery.

Among some of the other laws ushered-in with the arrival of July:
-A pair of laws in the courtroom to strengthen victim’s rights.

-Embryos can now be adopted. The legal custodian of the embryos will decide how and where they are stored, along with whether they can be disposed of. Some medical doctors, researchers and biotech financers opposed the legislation, saying it could hinder reproductive treatments and innovations in the state.

-A new measure now designates April as Confederate History Month.

New state laws debut today

More than 400 new laws take effect in Georgia today.

One is the controversial new gun measure. This allows Georgians with carry permits to bring firearms into restaurants serving alcohol, onto public transportation, and into state parks.

Other laws now on the books include:

- Wine can now be bought from wineries directly over the Internet and by phone. Partially finished bottles of wine can now be taken home from restaurants.

- Sex offenders are now prohibited from volunteering at churches

- Tougher measures on those driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Now, a fourth DUI offense in 10 years brings a felony charge. Georgia was one of five states that did not have a law making four DUI offenses a felony.