Hmmmm… I still think that for every Law that is passed in Albany they need to rescind one or two or three.

New Laws in New York for 2008

As the New Year approaches, we take a look at some of the new laws that could have an impact on you in 2008.

Those new laws run the gamut — and will effect how much money you pay in taxes and just where the money you “do” pay goes.

There are more than a dozen new laws taking effect on January 1, but one that will cut property tax bills may be the one that will have the biggest affect on the most of us.

It may have seemed at times this year like nothing was getting done at the Capitol — with Governor Spitzer and Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno at odds for months — but lawmakers were voting on bills that will have a big impact on your life in 2008.

Perhaps most important is an additional $1.3 billion in property tax relief.

It’s an expansion of a three-year plan to issue rebate checks to millions of New Yorkers to ease their growing tax burdens.

In Albany County, many volunteer fire fighters and ambulance workers will get up to a 10% real property tax exemption, if their communities believe they can afford to give it to them.

Another big bill — the airline passengers’ bill of rights, which requires airlines operating in New York to provide basic snacks, water, fresh air, power and working bathrooms on planes for passengers stuck on the tarmac for more than 3 hours.

The airline industry tried to fight the bill but a Federal judge upheld the law.

In the wake of the mortgage and foreclosure crises and in order to weed out unscrupulous brokers, individual mortgage loan originators in New York will have to register and go through education to increase professionalism.

The idea is it will help regulators provide better oversight of the industry.

One more thing that will affect parents of all newborns — every child born after January 1 must be immunized against pneumonia in order to enroll in any child care center or nursery school.

Here are a couple of other interesting things.

An office of the ombudsmen will be established within the state Office of Children and Family Services to protect the legal rights of kids under the office’s jurisdiction and to help with investigating complaints.

Another new law revises the way certain surcharges for motor vehicle infractions are collected and used by municipalities.

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