New state laws go into effect today! So make sure you are aware of the biggest ones that can effect your wallet and your social life.

• Smoking is prohibited in most restaurants and bars in Virginia. The law goes into effect today but won’t be implemented until December 1, to allow businesses to prepare for it. So enjoy that cigarette with your beer now because come December it will be a thing of the past.
• $1.4 billion in stimulus money went to balance the budget because of the massive shortage.
• Put those cell phones and PDAs away. Texting and emailing while driving is banned. It can carry up to a $50 dollar fine. The good news is you can only be ticketed for it if you’re being pulled over for something else. “No officer it wasn’t the texting that made me swerve while speeding, you can check my last outgoing message time (which I just deleted as you were walking to my car.)”
• Drunk driving – they might as well strap a monitor around your ankle. Any person charged with TWO (2) DUIs within a 10 year period will be required to use ignition interlock devices, electronic devices installed in motor vehicles connecting a breathalyzer to a vehicle