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New AZ Laws: Service dogs; red light cams; Recesses times; Egg shelf life

Posted at 5:36 PM, May 11, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-12 17:21:45-04

Arizona has several new laws going into effect in the next few months. Many of them could have an impact on you in your day to day life. Here are four of the most important for you to know about.

FAKE SERVICE DOGS:

Mitch Garcia has been waiting for the state to crack down on fake service dogs. He finds it insulting someone would strap a vest on any dog and claim it's a service dog. "I don't like it at all, period," said Garcia. "This is about $70,000 sitting here, worth of medical equipment. It's just not a dog." 

Now, it will be illegal for you to say your pet is a service dog when it's actually not. You could get slapped with a $250 fine if you're caught.

RED LIGHT CAMERAS:

And yes, those red light cameras are staying but now an actual police officer will have to look at your impromptu photo session before they issue you a ticket. James Arrowood is a Scottsdale attorney. He has clients who've tried to get out of them but he says law enforcement now looking at the evidence before giving you a ticket could change things.

"Does that give it better weight or more weight in terms of prosecuting you for that citation?" said Arrowood. "In the past it was somebody with the photo radar company which could be attacked pretty easily by an attorney."

Also new, they can serve you with certified mail. Add that on top of a cop looking at your red light photo, it might be a tough fight.

"So that increases the weight of their evidence number one," said Arrowood. "If they've actually served you via certified mail and you've signed for it, well you can't deny that you didn't receive it."

RECESS IN SCHOOLS:

Moving on to school recess - they're probably too young to know what a law is but students in kindergarten through third grade will now get two recess periods in a day starting next school year

Many parents, teachers and health experts spoke up in favor the proposal, which now gives children more of a break during their school day. They cited the physical and mental benefits of playtime.

The proposal applies to both public and charter schools.

Fourth and fifth grades will be added on in 2019.

EGG EXPIRATION:

The expiration is being extended by three weeks on Grade A eggs.

Proponents of the measure said it could help eliminate food waste, and it will provide out-of-state shippers more time to transport their products to Arizona stores.

No dates would change for Grade AA eggs. Those will continue to have a 24-day sell-by date that's one of the strictest in the U.S.