Posted at: 08/01/2012 6:37 PM
By: Laura Lee
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Email to a FriendNew MN Laws Include Elder Abuse and School Bus Stop Arms
(ABC 6 NEWS) -- There are some new laws going into effect Wednesday ranging from elder abuse to synthetic drugs that were spear-headed by local legislators.
Two local cases helped lead to the creation of the new laws.
The first would allow for more serious charges to be filed against people who intentionally neglect a vulnerable adult.
You may remember, the case of Ashton Larson and Brianna Broitzman who were convicted of physically and sexually abusing residents at the Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Albert Lea.
They were charged with gross misdemeanors and only served a couple months in jail. The new law would make that kind of treatment a felony.
The second law involves school bus crossing arms. It requires all new school buses to be equipped with a crossing arm that automatically extends when the bus stops. The law also allows manufactures to implement the latest safety equipment on new busses.
Here in our area, the most recent example of school bus safety is that of 7-year-old Kadyn Halverson who was killed while trying to board her school bus.
Another law on the list that we have been covering extensively -- is the sale and use of synthetic drugs. It is now illegal in Minnesota to sell the drug.
For more information on the full list of laws, click on featured links.
