A host of new state laws and regulations took effect around the country on New Year's Day -- many of which, critics say, are simply absurd.

• In Florida, if a pet ferret bites someone, it is to be quarantined and tested for rabies rather than automatically destroyed.

• Children with asthma in Wisconsin can now carry inhalers to school.

• In California, truckers who haul kitchen grease can now be stopped by the Highway Patrol to ascertain whether they own the stuff.

• Felons convicted of violent offenses in California are now denied the right to wear body armor.

In Florida, couples who don't agree to four hours of marriage preparation counseling will have to wait three days before wedding and pay $88.50 for a marriage license instead of $56.

Meanwhile, a sales tax on prescription drugs expired in New Mexico as did property taxes on business computers in Wisconsin. Car taxes are going down in California, and the minimum wage is going up in Oregon and Washington state.

Source: AP, "New Year Brings a Myriad of New Rules," Washington Times, January 2, 1998.