Get ready to obey 318 new laws on Tuesday

You'll have 318 new laws to obey Tuesday.

Most of the bills passed by the 2009 Legislature become law 60 days after adjournment — and that is 12:01 a.m. May 12.

The 2009-10 budget, which saw $1 billion in program cutbacks along with layoffs of some state workers, takes effect July 1.

And a few bills became law upon the signature of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., if they passed by two-thirds vote in the Utah House and Senate.

Also, a few bills become law Jan. 1, 2010.

Parts of the history-making liquor law reform swing into effect Tuesday. But not until July 1 will anyone 21 or older be able to walk into a properly licensed bar and buy an alcoholic drink or glass of wine without having to pay a membership fee.

And legislators' own pay is reduced by 10 percent. It's not much, agree legislators, but it shows a willingness to suffer along with other state employees.

But Tuesday sees most of new laws passed by lawmakers taking effect, including:

You can't text or e-mail while driving your car or truck. Doing so can cost you your license for three months. You can still talk on a cell phone, however. And you can text if it is an emergency.

An adult can be guilty of harboring a child runaway if you give shelter to the minor child — so if one of your teenager's friends starts staying at your house, you must tell the friend's parents or a proper state official within eight hours or face liability.

You can legally home-brew up to 100 gallons of beer or wine a year without having to get a state license.

All of the four so-called "ethics reform" bills. They include a one year cooling-off period before a former state official can become a contract lobbyist; the required reporting of a legislator's name who receives either $25 in food or a $10 gift; a prohibition on former legislators giving themselves leftover campaign cash; and the requirement for candidates to file more frequent financial disclosure reports.

Several anti-abortion laws go into effect. Doctors must offer a woman anesthesia for the pain the fetus may feel; a new citizen-funded trust account for potential legal battles on abortion laws is set up; and it is now a second-degree felony for "killing an unborn child" if proper procedures are not followed in a legal or illegal abortion.

All voters must show picture ID at the polls.