New laws take effect on Friday

CHEYENNE -- Wyoming is preparing for about 120 new state laws to take effect this week.

July 1 marks the start date for many of the bills the Legislature passed during this year's session. The new rules and procedures will affect law enforcement, transportation and other parts of state government.

One of the most heavily debated bills was the elimination of the implied consent law for suspected drunken drivers.

Starting Friday, motorists will lose the right to refuse chemical tests when they are suspected of driving under the influence.

The bill also creates a "remotely communicated search warrant." That means a judicial official does not need to be physically present to approve the warrant to force the test.

Rep. Keith Gingery, R-Jackson, who sponsored that bill, said it could have one of the largest effects of all legislation passed this year. He added that judges and prosecutors have worked for the past few months to arrange the logistics of the new law.

"Potentially, it will have a dramatic impact on the reduction of deaths on our roads," he said.

Another new piece of legislation gives law enforcement greater leeway to prosecute strangulation cases.

Senate File 132 will make it a felony to strangle a family member. The crime can be punishable for up to five years in prison.

Suzan Pauling with the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault said the new law is important because many assaults involving strangulations have gone ignored: There was not enough evidence to prosecute the cases.

"The problem with strangulation is it doesn't always leave marks, so (with domestic assaults) there is nothing to charge," she said. "Now we actually have a tool to use if someone has been strangled."

Other major laws that will take effect Friday are:

n Senate File 115: Imposes a fine of up to $750 for violating DUI statutes while having a minor passenger in the vehicle.

n Senate File 26: Lowers the speed limit on unposted roads in county subdivisions to 30 mph. It also lowers the limit on unposted and unpaved county roads to 55 mph.

Currently, the 65 mph limit applies to all county roads unless signage indicates a different limit.

n Senate File 88: Provides a process for expungement of felonies by the convicting court if: at least 10 years have passed since the end of the terms of the sentence; any program ordered by the court is completed; and any restitution ordered by the court has been paid in full.

n House Bill 248: Increases the distance that people can protest at funerals from 300 feet to 900 feet.

n House Bill 62: Updates the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act. It adds salvinorin A and methylone to Schedule I substances, oripavine and tapentadol to Schedule II substances and medazepam and tramadol to Schedule II substances.

The bill also places new limits on the amount of methamphetamine precursor drugs a person can obtain.

n House Bill 92: Makes it a crime to impersonate someone via email or other electronic means. It also bans "spoofing," which is when people falsify their name or number when it shows up on caller identification systems.

n House Bill 190: Authorizes the Supreme Court to develop and implement an electronic transaction system for submittal of payment to the circuit courts of all fees, penalties and fines and bonds for misdemeanor offenses for which bond may be posted and forfeited.

n Senate File 93: Establishes the Dietetics Licensing Board to regulate the practice of dietetics.