Driving laws go into effect Tuesday across Texas New driving laws go into effect Tuesday

Starting Tuesday, everyone in car must buckle up

Starting Tuesday, using a cell phone while driving through a school-crossing zone could cost you $200. It's one of hundreds of new laws going on the books from the Texas legislative session that ended nearly three months ago. The 81st Legislature produced 1,426 new laws, many of them dealing with driving or enhancing punishments for violations of existing statutes. Among the new laws taking effect:

No cell zones

• HB 55: Prohibits the use of a cell phone in a school zone unless the vehicle is stopped or a hands-free device is used.

Eyes on the road

• HB 339: Prohibits teens under 18 from texting or talking on a cell phone while driving.

Space saver

• HB 358: Allows law enforcement authorities to store only the computer chips in gambling machines that have been seized, rather than storing the whole machine.

Buckle up

• HB 537: Requires everyone in a vehicle to wear a seatbelt, regardless of age or where he or she is seated.

Ed Board online

• HB 772: Requires the Texas Education Agency to broadcast over the Internet live video and audio of each open meeting held by the State Board of Education.

Drink up

• HB 1084: Increases the maximum amount of wine a winery may ship to the same consumer in Texas from three gallons to nine gallons within a calendar month and to establish 36 gallons as the maximum amount that can be shipped to the same consumer within a 12-month period.

Bringing up baby

• HB 1240: Requires a hospital, physician, nurse midwife or midwife to provide the parents or adult caregiver of an infant with a resource guide that includes information in English and Spanish relating to the development, health and safety of a child from birth until age 5. The bill also requires the Health and Human Services Commission to develop performance measures to evaluate the effectiveness of the resource guide in reducing costs to the state and improving outcomes for children.

Permission to tan

• HB 1310: A person younger than 16.5 years may not use a tanning facility. A person between 16.5 and 18 years may not use a tanning device unless a parent or legal guardian visits the facility and consents in writing for the person to use the device.

Wrongful imprisonment compensation

• HB 1736: Increases the lump-sum compensation for a person wrongfully imprisoned from $50,000 multiplied by the number of years served in prison to $80,000 multiplied by the number of years served in prison.

Out of line online

• HB 2003: Makes online harassment a third-degree felony for a person who uses the name of another person to create a Web page or to post one or more messages on a commercial social networking site without obtaining the other person's consent with the intent to harm, defraud, intimidate or threaten any person.

Higher penalty

• HB 2385: Punishment for engaging in sexual intercourse with a person's ancestor or descendant would increase from a third-degree felony to a second-degree felony.

Child safety seats

• SB 61: Requires that any child younger than 8 be secured in an approved child safety seat system when riding in a passenger vehicle, unless the child is taller than four feet, nine inches. A violation will cost up to $25 for the first offense and not more than $250 for a second offense.

gscharrer@express-news.net