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3 new laws take effect in Utah January 1

Posted at 6:16 PM, Jan 01, 2015
and last updated 2015-01-02 09:06:05-05

SALT LAKE CITY -- With the new year come new laws, and Utah has three that will begin to be carried out starting Thursday.

The first is popular with animal advocates. The legislature passed a statute that prohibits any city from prohibiting specific breeds of dogs. That means the ten areas across the state that had bans on specific breeds must do away with those restrictions.

Another law that went into effect requires law enforcement to impound cars of uninsured drivers on the spot. But those opposed of the law said because the state's uninsured driver database is not always accurate, having cars towed will waste time and money.

A third law relates to the Count My Vote initiative and also goes into effect on January 1 but won't have a big impact on Utah until 2016. Candidates for higher office in Utah can now bypass the state's caucus and convention system to reach a primary election, if they collect a certain number of signatures from voters.

FOX 13 News' Kiersten Nuñez has more details on the changes to Utah law, see the video above for her report and for interviews with people supporting or opposing the changes. A representative from Humane Society of Utah came to FOX 13 News Studio Thursday to discuss the end to bans on specific breeds, see the video below for his comments.