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With the new year comes change -- and in Pennsylvania some of those changes will probably affect your life. Whether you're a state worker, awaiting the birth of a child, drive a car or attend college, here are 13 changes you'll see in 2019.

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Pension changes

Changes to the state pension system are coming in the new year that will put many new state government employees hired on or after Jan. 1 - and new school employees hired on or after July 1 - in a different plan than the defined benefit plan current employees have.

New workers will automatically be enrolled in a hybrid defined contribution/defined benefit plan, with the ability to select a different hybrid plan or a defined contribution-only option (similar to a 401(k) plan) instead. Current employees can may also choose to switch to one of the new plans.

The idea behind the new plan is to provide for retirement security for these public servants while lowering the risk to taxpayers in funding pensions.

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Penalties stiffen on "peeping Tom" drones

Starting on Jan. 10, anyone -- other than law enforcement, utility workers, first responders and some government officials -- caught using a drone to spy on someone in a private place will face increased criminal penalties.

This new law makes using an unmanned aircraft to intentionally or knowingly conduct surveillance of another person in a private place or to place another person in reasonable fear of bodily injury a summary offense that carries a fine of up to $300.

Using a drone to deliver, provide, transmit or furnish contraband to someone in prison or a mental hospital becomes a second-degree felony punishable up to 10 years in prison and up to a $25,000 fine.

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Turnpike tolls increase

Starting at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 6, a trip on the Pennsylvania Turnpike will cost you 6 percent more regardless of whether you pay in cash or use E-ZPass.

The higher toll is necessary for the turnpike commission to meet its statutory obligation to make annual payments to PennDOT to fund non-turnpike highway and bridge projects and prop up public transit systems as well as to maintain the toll road itself.

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Automatic college savings account program starts

Babies born in Pennsylvania or adopted by Pennsylvania residents, starting on Jan. 1, will automatically receive a college savings account that has a $100 deposited into it.

The Keystone Scholars program is intended to provide seed money to encourage families to save for the child's post-secondary education, which is increasingly becoming a requirement in the 21st century workforce.

According to University of Kansas associate professor William Elliott, who has written extensively on children's savings accounts, children who have even small savings accounts for college are seven times more likely to attend and graduate from college than those who have no savings accounts.

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New divorces get more complicated

Last year's changes to the federal tax law make new alimony and support spousal agreements or orders signed on Jan. 1, 2019, or after, non-deductible for the person who has to pay it and non-includable in the recipient's taxable income.

Family law attorneys say this change in tax law could make negotiations on marital settlement agreements more difficult because it takes away some of the creativity that could be used to get a divorcing couple to arrive at an agreement.

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State employees get a pay raise

Labor contracts that the commonwealth has with several of its unions provide for a service increment of approximately 2.25 percent, starting on Jan. 1, for employees who worked continuously for state government since Jan. 31 of this year.

The raise takes effect on the first day of the first pay period in the new year. Non-represented, or management, employees will be eligible for the increase as well, said Dan Egan, a spokesman for the governor's Office of Administration.

Employees at the top of the pay scale for their positions will receive a one-time payment of approximately 2.25 percent of their salaries.

Although the increase takes effect in January, employees will not see it in their paychecks until Feb. 1 or Feb. 8, depending on their pay schedule.

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Pa. gets a new lieutenant governor

Lt. Gov.-elect John Fetterman will take the oath of office on Jan. 15 to become Pennsylvania's newest second-in-command as well as the sidekick to Gov. Tom Wolf in his second term of office.

Also taking the oath of office for the first time will be 43 newly elected House members and six or seven newly elected senators (depending on how a dispute over residency of one newly elected senator turns out).

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Pa. colleges to post hazing violations

A provision in the Timothy J. Piazza Antihazing Law requires colleges and universities in Pennsylvania for the first time to issue and publicly post a report of all reported hazing violations for the past five years by Jan. 15.

The report is required to identify the organization(s) involved, the date of the violation, a description of the violation, and the institution's investigation of the violation.

The report is to be updated every six months and be kept publicly available on the internet.

The law was inspired by the advocacy efforts of Jim and Evelyn Piazza of Lebanon, New Jersey, whose son, Timothy, died on Feb. 4, 2017, a little more than 24 hours after he suffered fatal internal injuries in a series of drunken falls following his acceptance of a bid to join the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Penn State University.

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Shorter testing window for students

Students in grades three through eight will still be required to take the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exams, known as the PSSAs, but starting this year, the testing window will be compacted from three weeks to two weeks and shifted to late April.

These changes are being made in response to educator and parent demands to give students more time to learn before taking these state assessments.

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No more aerial fireworks sold at fireworks tents

Because of a Commonwealth Court ruling, temporary fireworks tents that pop up on summer holidays will once again go back to selling only novelty fireworks such as sparklers, ground-based fireworks and trick noise makers like they did up until this year.

The more powerful aerial fireworks can still be purchased by Pennsylvanians but only at brick-and -mortar fireworks stores.

Those stores brought the lawsuit against the state, saying the law that liberalized the sale of more powerful fireworks put them at an unfair disadvantage with tent sellers for competitive and safety reasons.

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Skin protection at school

When kids go back to classrooms from the holiday break in January, they are free to carry an FDA-approved non-aerosolized sunscreen with them to school and at school-related activities without getting a doctor's note. They also will be able to apply it without having to go to the school nurse.

This is a result of a new state law that also allows students to wear sun-protective clothing or hats while outdoors provided the items don't bear graphics or a message that violates school policy.

Pennsylvania is the 17th state to allow children to possess and apply sunscreen at school, which dermatologists maintain is an important step in preventing skin cancer. It is the first state in the nation to include wearing clothing and hats to lessen sun exposure.

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Pa. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

More electric vehicle charging stations at state parks

As part of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' focus on energy efficiency, it plans to install 11 more electric vehicle charging stations at state parks and forests in 2019, upping the total number by year's end to 20.

The department also is increasing its reliance on solar units to power buildings and systems, such as sewage treatment, to continue its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and save on energy costs. By December of 2019, the department will have 15 solar installations that will save $42,765 on energy costs annually and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 300 tons a year.

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More transparency in hospital charges

Starting on Jan. 1, hospitals must post their standard charges for medical and surgical services and diagnostic procedures by medical code on their website and update them annually. Keep in mind, a medical service may include more than one medical code.

"It is important to remember that the charges that will be published online as a result of this new requirement do not reflect the amount that a patient may pay for a procedure, service, or good at a hospital in the vast majority of cases," said Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania spokeswoman Rachel Moore.

"Rather, charges are the total amount that a hospital can bill a patient's insurer for care and may vary due to insurer-negotiated rates or discounts that patients might receive for paying cash for their care.

Moore also cautions that while there may be "standard charges," there is no "standard patient." She said the best way for patients to understand what their care will cost is to talk with the provider and work with the hospital resources and insurer to find that information out.