Four new laws will affect Pennsylvania citizens in 2018.

After January 1, 2018, if you are caught driving under the influence, you now have two options for punishment.

If you are a first time offender, you have the option to get it removed from you record, but you would have a 30 day minimum license suspension.

The other option is to have it on you record and not lose your license, but you would have an ignition interlock installed in your vehicle. The ignition interlock system would be in your car for one year.

Another law’s update took place also on January 1, 2018. The law affects the bingo players all across Pennsylvania. The law allows the organizations running the bingo to advertise the prize money amounts.

The second new law also impacts bingo.  The law has increased the prize money for a single game, jackpot game, and overall total amount given in a single day. Now the prizes can be higher, and there is no longer a restriction on how many days an organization can call a bingo game.

The final law to impact Pennsylvanians during the beginning of 2018 is about fireworks. The original reason for the new law was to help fix the state budget deficit.

The new law will only allow consumer-grade fireworks to be sold.

The fireworks now have a 12 percent tax, which the legislators are hoping that revenue can help close the budget deficit.

There is one issue where a failure to implement new federal rules may put some Pennsylvanians in a bind.  In October, a law will be put into effect requiring all travelers that are flying to have a passport. The state had since 2005 to implement the REAL ID federal requirement.  However, current PA driver’s licenses do not comply with the REAL ID law.

The passport requirement will be in effect until spring of 2019 when REAL ID compliant driver’s licenses will be offered to the public. Between that time, travelers will need a passport for both domestic and international flights.

The federal government has already delayed this law once, but it will be taking place in October. The change will be gradual first beginning with needing a passport for all flights from October 10, 2018 til spring 2019.

Then beginning on October 1, 2020 Pennsylvanians will need a REAL ID-compliant license, identification card or form of identification accepted by the Transportation Security Administration to board domestic flights or enter a federal facility.