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State Representative Tom Hackbarth
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-2439
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
HOUSE BRIEFS
New Laws Take Effect August 1st
Constituents and friends,
With July becoming August, government is probably one of the last things on your mind. I’m sure many of you are spending quite a bit of time this summer exploring our state’s great parks, fishing our magnificent lakes, and hunting game of all kinds. While enjoying these and other Minnesota pastimes, I wanted to let you know about several new laws taking effect August 1st that can affect your everyday life.
First, you may now obtain multiple vehicle permits for state parks beyond the previous limit of two. You can also fish from the shore of waters wholly contained within a state park as long as no trout stamp is required. For those of us who enjoy spearfishing, it has been added to the list of available lifetime fishing licenses. We also are recognizing our armed services veterans by allowing residents discharged from active military service within the last two years to obtain a deer hunting license free of charge.
Two additional law changes provide more freedom and opportunity for our younger citizens to enjoy outdoor recreation. Residents age 16 to 18 can fish for free on "Take a Kid Fishing Weekend" when accompanying a child under age 16 (previously the age limit was 18). Residents over age 16 can also now participate in track-style racing events, as off-highway motorcycle riders under age 18 are permitted to ride with adult supervision rather than being required to ride alongside another rider age 18 or older, as previously mandated.
While you are driving to the park, the lake, or wherever else these summer days take you, a new law lets you exceed the posted speed limit by 10 miles per hour when passing another vehicle. The only condition is that it must be on a two-lane highway with a speed limit of at least 55 miles per hour. If you use a GPS on your travels, you can now lawfully mount an electronic GPS system near the bottom of your vehicle’s windshield. If while at the park or the lake (or anywhere else) you lose your cell phone, by notifying the provider and agreeing to suspend use of the wireless device you will not liable for unauthorized charges a finder of the phone may rack up.
As these new laws take effect, I encourage all of you to continue to get out there and visit our parks, lakes, and other recreational areas Minnesota is so fortunate to have.
Sincerely,
Tom
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