New Laws Take Effect in 2019
Along with a new year, comes new changes in the law. Many new laws take effect in 2019, including the following:
- Law Enforcement will now be required to provide a formal notice within five (5) days of property seizures of a forfeiture-warrant hearing to the property owner, even if the property owner was not present at the time the property was taken. Any property that is wrongfully seized must be returned within five (5) days.
- In 2018, retail stores were able to begin selling alcoholic beverages on Sunday, but this did not include grocery stores. As of January 6, 2019, grocery stores will be able to sell wine on Sundays from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m.
- There are new laws that will take effect concerning opioids and pharmacies. Initial opioid prescriptions will now be limited to a three-day supply for new patients. Although, there will be exceptions for surgeries, cancer, hospice, sick cell and treatment in licensed facilities. A new state law will also establish an opioid hotline and requires any
business that handles, distributes, or carries opioids to hang a sign up with the hotline’s number so that any potential opioid abuse can be reported anonymously. - In cases where an ultrasound is performed as part of the examination that takes places before an abortion, the person who performs the ultrasound must now offer the woman getting the abortion the opportunity to learn the results of that ultrasound. If the ultrasound is performed, the report of the abortion must indicate whether or not a heartbeat was detected during the ultrasound. This data will then be reported to the Department of Health each year.
- Public schools and public charters schools that are being used for polling places for the November election must be closed for instruction on election day; however, for elections outside of the November election, it will be up to law enforcement agencies to decide whether or not the schools should be close.
To learn more about how these new laws and others may affect you, contact us at www.kane-law.com or by phone at (615) 784-4800.
