New laws begin July 1st

It won’t be long before there are some new laws on the books in Iowa. July 1st the English-only law goes into effect, though many state documents will continue to be printed in other languages for immigrants and some courts will continue to have interpreters for those charged with crimes. It’s not expected to cost the state any money to declare English the official language and won’t save any money either. In a week and a half, cloning becomes illegal in the state, and it’ll also be against a new law to possess anthrax spores. A trial over the deaths of two women in Iowa City led to one new law going on the books, requiring a convicted offender to stay in the courtroom when victims give impact statements. The state’s new budget year begins July first too, bringing with it 200-million dollars in further budget cuts and more days off without pay for state workers.