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Show Thursday, July 1, DAILY HERALD 2004 AA3 July brings new state laws on drugs, marriage and cloning Robert Tanner TH ASSOCIATED PRESS Summer brings more than lazy days and sunburns. As Jury starts, a new set of state laws take effect, offering a snapshot of what matters to Americans now the services we're willing to pay for, the punishments we dole out, the things we celebrate. Minnesota hopes to help young, unmarried parents start successful marriages, while Virginia wants to close the door on gay marriage. A handful of states aim to crack down on video phone voyeurs and met hamphet amine addicts. Others look to help children overcome obesity. For many states, Julyl is the effective date for laws crafted during legislative sessions. In others, laws take effect Jan. L, or 90 days after passage. Wyoming created a $5 million trust fund to help financially pinched families of Guard members and reservists serving overseas. The culture wars continued. Virginia lawmakers, in a step gay activists called draconian, voted to prohibit civil unions, partnership contracts or "other arrangement between persons of the same sex purporting to bestow the privileges or obligations of marriage." . Minnesota hoped to encourage nuptials for heterosexuals. Adding another $5 to the $80 cost of a marriage license, the state hopes to provide counsel and guidance that targets un- - California banned soda during the school day in middle or junior high schools. New Jersey and Washington, D.C, banned hand-hel- d cell phone calls while driving. married couples with children. "We're planning to work with area hospitals and recruit them after the child is born," said William Doherty, a University of Minnesota professor who win .direct the program. "That's the magic moment when they are wanting to do right by the baby and each other." Crime drew a great deal of Florida and South Dakota created new punishments for those who surreptitiously take intimate photos of others with cell phones. Tougher penalties for drunk driving were approved in Colorado, Virginia and Indiana, where legislators became personally involved when a fellow lawmaker was killed while driving home after voting for a drunk-drivin- g bill that failed to pass in 2003. Another substance increasingly being abused also called speed, came up crank, ice and meth for tougher penalties in Florida, Iowa, New Mexico and South r metham-phetamin- Dakota. Some target sales, some production, and some those trying to purchase cold medicines that can be converted into the drug in home labs. Drug stores might see sales drop, acknowledged Iowa state Rep. del Baudler. The new law in his state makes it illegal to buy more than two packages of pseudoephedrine, a common decongestant, at one time. Other safety concerns focused on children and teenagers California banned soda during the school day in middle or junior high schools, hoping to C focus on obesity in children; Georgia required car safety seats for children up to age 6 (instead of 5), and Tennessee required booster seats for older children up to age 9. Traffic frustrations spurred a Georgia law requiring drivers in fender-bende- r accidents to pull off roads or streets so they don't block traffic (current law, already requires such action on highways). And New Jersey and Washington, D.C banned hand-helcell phone calls while driving. (Only New York banned it before). d and unsuccessful Other states looked more closely at technology: Florida tial candidate. created new penalties for lying in email spam, South Dakota made it a felony to clone humans, and Colorado required microchips to be implanted in dogs that bite people, so they can be tracked. And besides the laws that aim to punish or persuade, others just take pride. j stretch In Kansas, a of Highway 96 near and " through Hutchinson will be named the "Bob Dole Bypass," for the state's longtime senator six-mi- 1996 presiden- Mississippi took a step to honor its past with the Mississippi Blues Commission, hoping to spur economic development and tourist dollars from a music born amid poverty, racism and life on the Delta "Adverse conditions, the long rows of cotton and, the sizzling heat created this music that the world wants to hear," said Democratic state Sen. David Jor dan, wno autnorea tne dul we can aQ benefit from the blues more so than anything else." oDe3ndSjDPXaj r e, I - W(o) Study: Almost 1 in 10 students subject to sexual misconduct by school workers Ben Feller THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON More than 4.5 million students endure sexual misconduct by employees at their schools, from inappropriate jokes all the way to forced sex, according to a report to Congress. The best estimate available shows nearly one in 10 kids faces misbehavior ranging from unprofessional to criminal sometime between kindergarten and 12th grade, says the report by Charol Shakeshaft, a Hofstra University professor. "Most people just don't think this can really happen," said Shakeshaft, hired by the Education Department to study the prevalence of sexual abuse in schools. "We imagine that all teachers are like most teachers, in that they've gone into teaching to help children. Most do, but not all." The report, required by the No Child Left Behind law and delivered to Congress on Wednesday, is the first to analyze research about sexual misconduct at schools. Some educators took issue with the way the report combines sexual abuse with other behaviors, such as inappropriate jokes, in one broad category of sexual misconduct. "Lumping harassment together with serious sexual misconduct does more harm than good by creating unjustified alarm and undermining confidence in public schools," said Michael Pons, spokesman for the National Education Association, a union of 2.7 million school employees. "Statistically, public schools remain one of the safest places for children to be." But the American Association of University Women, whose surveys of students were at the core of the report, stood by its research. . 0 Celebration 1 risy I ; And Robert Shoop, a Kansas State University professor of education law and an expert on sexual exploitation in schools, said the estimate that one in 10 children endures abuse is not high. The actual number may be larger, he said, because of underreporting of the problem. There have been no nationally financed surveys of how common sexual misconduct is in school one of many areas Shakeshaft suggests must be addressed. She examined existing research, finding almost 900 documents that have dealt with the topic in some way. Among those, the best estimate of misconduct came from surveys in 2000 of students in grades eight to 11, Shakeshaft said. That research, commissioned by the AAUW Educational Foundation, found fiearly 9.6 percent of students had been sexually harassed or abused by school workers. Shakeshaft reanalyzed the data and said it could be applied to the broad school population, meaning more than 4.5 million students could be affected. Sexual misconduct is defined in the report as physical, verbal or visual behavior. Shakeshaft did not limit her findings to sexual abuse because, she says, that would exclude other unacceptable adult behaviors that can drive kidsrom school and harm them for years. The report found teachers are the most common offenderi1, followed by coaches, substitute teachers, bus drivers and teacher aides. Among those offenders, 57 percent are male and 43 percent are female. Among the victims, 56 percent i are girls and 44 percent are boys. f L , w (ojmr, j current prices on special group first quality sporting goods equipment and apparel. on select top brand apparel, golf, fitness, board shop, outdoor and athletic gear. 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