It’s OK to Lie Online in Rhode Island and Other Quirky New State Laws

By Mikal E. Belicove|For Entrepreneur.com|July 3, 2012

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on federal health-care reform dominated the news last week, leaving small-business owners with more questions than answers. With far less fanfare — a slew of new state laws went into effect for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Many of these state mandates might seem a bit wacky on the surface, but they’re all going to affect someone who operates a business or other enterprise.

What we’ve compiled below is a list of some of the more unusual new laws that were enacted in time for the fiscal July 1 deadline:

Rhode Island: Now you can legally tell a “white lie” online in Little Rhody. State lawmakers repealed legislation that mandated fines and jail time for authoring untruths on the Internet. That means employees won’t be going to jail for emailing in sick when they’re really at the beach.

Indiana: It’s now legal to buy, sell or trade motorcycles on Sundays. Unlike car dealerships, which are closed on Sundays in the state, motorcycle dealers have always been able to sell parts on Sunday, even enough parts to build a bike if the customer so desired. The new law allows them to sell the whole vehicle seven days a week. No such luck for auto dealers.

Virginia: The honey industry is abuzz with new legislation that…

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