• Posted on Wednesday, July 6, 2011
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1,500 new laws will affect day-to-day life in Texas

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Maybe you won't notice until you buy a scratch-off lottery ticket, decide to go fishing without a pole, sign your child up for a driver's education class or have a loved one in a nursing home or hospice on a hot day.

But those are among the times Texans will see and feel the impact of the work that state lawmakers did -- and Gov. Rick Perry signed off on -- during the 82nd Legislature this year.

Perry signed 1,458 bills into law that touch nearly every corner of Texans' lives and allowed 27 more measures to take effect without his signature. Some were effective immediately. Others will go into effect in the coming months.

Many big-ticket items -- from the budget to redistricting -- drew much attention, as did a potential presidential bid by Perry. But it's the other bills that may affect Texans first.

"Bills passed during a session make a huge impact in our day-to-day lives oftentimes," said Jim Riddlesperger, a political science professor at Texas Christian University. "But people don't often know about them until they encounter them, or they impact them."

Here's a look at some of the smaller items becoming law this year.

Read the complete story at www.star-telegram.com

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