Hundreds of new laws become effective in Washington state today - more than 300 in all.
The new laws cover everything from medical marijuana, human trafficking and DUIs to the counting of overseas ballots and foreclosure fairness.
What's so special about July 22nd?
It happens to be 90 days after the end of Washington's 2011 legislative session, which is the default date for all laws passed to become effective, unless otherwise specified. That's why the vast majority of Washington's new laws start today.
August 24th is the next big day in the year's legal history. That's the default effective date for laws passed during the special session that wrapped up at the end of May. We count 20 new laws in that category.
The Secretary of State's office maintains a list of all the bills passed in each session. It tallies a total of 373 bills that came out of the regular session this year. 50 passed the special session.
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