MORE THAN 90 LAWS TAKE EFFECT IN STATE THIS WEEK

More than 90 new Missouri laws took effect this week. Some will touch thousands of Missourians; others will go virtually unnoticed.

One of the most hotly debated issues in Missouri in recently years Right to Die prompted the legislature to change the state's power-of-attorney law. Missouri's new law allows people to designate others to make life and death medical decisions for them if they become incapacitated.

This new law should help people and their families avoid such bitter battles as surfaced in the Nancy Cruzan case.

Another new law establishes child-death review panels in each county. These panels headed up by county prosecutors will review any death of a child under age 15. The law also requires autopsies for any child one week to one year of age who dies "suddenly when in apparent good health." Previously, only those deaths considered suspicious required a report be made to county coroners.

These panels will include police officers, doctors and social workers. They may help to uncover deaths that are actually part of a crime. By keeping track of the ways our children die, the panel may also help parents and others prevent similar deaths.

Missouri joined the ranks of most other states this week when marital rape became a crime under state law. The change probably won't markedly increase the number of rape cases in our community. But it's a needed change; married or not, women should be protected from brutality.

Two of the new laws deal with drinking and driving. One new law prohibits motorists from drinking alcoholic beverages while driving. Another lowers the state's blood-alcohol level for administrative revocation of a driver's license from .13 to .10. Both laws are aimed at strengthening the state's campaign against drinking and driving.

One new law is stirring up a lot of excitement among Missouri's soon-to-be-drivers. It allows 15 year olds to get a driving permit. These young drivers must have a guardian or parent in the car while they drive. The Missouri Department of Revenue expects to issue about 4,000 of the new driving permits each month. To secure a permit, the teenagers must still pass a written and vision test.

Other laws will draw less notice from average citizens. For example, the state now has greater power to check the finances of insurance companies. Also, notary publics may now use a black-inked stamp rather than embossed seal so it can be transmitted by fax machines.

The legislature passed, and government approved some far-reaching legislation this year. Now, it's time for the public to learn the benefits and the consequences of these new laws.