New laws of the land

By the end of March, Gov. Brad Little signed 341 bills from the Idaho Legislature into law. Some made national headlines, such as H 500 and H 509, which curtailed the abilities of transgender Idahoans to change their birth certificates or participate in women’s sports.

Some were wide-reaching, such as H 614, which prohibits Idahoans from using their cellphones, among other devices, while behind the wheel.

Some sparked cries for change, such as H 466, which established a minimum age for marriage in Idaho at 16 years old, with conditions.

Laws in Idaho traditionally go into effect July 1. While some laws draw controversy, most others fly under the radar. Here are a few new laws now in effect.

• Acupuncturists no longer need worry about losing his or her license if he or she is convicted of a “crime involving moral turpitude.” That language has been replaced with “a crime that reflects on the qualifications, functions, or duties of an acupuncturist.”

• Elevator regulations now include standards and guidelines for wind turbine tower elevators.

• Households with one adult can produce up to 100 gallons of home-brewed beer per calendar year, while households with two or more adults can produce up to 200 gallons per calendar year. The language “native grown products” to describe home-brewed beer has been removed from Idaho Code, as well, considering that some products used to make wine and home-brewed beer do not come from in-state.

• Speaking of drinking, new language restricts eligibility for DUI diversion programs. A driver who either holds a commercial driver’s license, holds a commercial driver’s permit or was operating a commercial vehicle at the time he or she was cited for driving under the influence is no longer eligible for a diversion program.

• Applicants for a nursing home administrator’s license with both one year of management experience at an in-patient facility and a master’s-level degree in health care no longer need the requisite 1,000 hours of field supervision required to qualify.

• No one — be it private citizen or law enforcement — is allowed to conduct surveillance, electronically record or gather evidence on private property with a drone. The language that once gave law enforcement the authority to conduct such surveillance has been removed.

• Some stores and suppliers that sell alcohol face a few restrictions when they offer samples on-site to customers. Most notably, a customer — who must be 21 years or older — cannot have more than three samples within a 24-hour period.