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New Year Ushers In New Laws In Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Friday ushers in the New Year and also brings new laws to Minnesota.

Most new laws took effect over the summer but a handful start Friday, including proof of insurance upon vehicle registration.

Aiming to cut down on uninsured drivers, the state now requires proof of insurance when registering or renewing vehicle registration.

Another new law that officially starts Friday makes it so you could earn a chance to win cash just by putting money in your savings account.

The law, which authorizes raffles to promote stocking away money, took effect earlier in 2015 but banks needed time to set it up. More than a dozen Minnesota credit unions are launching their program with the New Year called "Wincentive Savings."

Another new law extends health benefits to families of volunteer fire fighters killed on duty.

It's a big issue in Minnesota, where the vast majority of active firefighters are on call or volunteers, not full-time, paid staff.

Finally, guidelines are on the books for license plate readers.

Police departments and agencies that want to use the technology need to lay out their own policies for maintaining the license plate scans and punishing officers who improperly access them by January 15.

If they don't, the department can't use the scanners.

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