The message is clear today: Put your cell phone down while driving.

Beginning today, text messaging while driving is against the law and carries with it a $20 to $50 fine. The new law, authored by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, closes the technology loophole left after the hands-free cell phone law went into effect last year.

The new law is just one of the 834 bills signed into law in 2008 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. New federal, state and local laws that take effect Jan. 1, 2009 range from the naming of Devil’s Slide tunnel to the second consecutive year of minimum wage increases.

A few of those laws were ideas suggested to state Simitian through his annual “There Oughta Be A Law” contest. Simitian passed 14 bills, including ones that regulate deceptive sweepstakes practices and expands the small business loan program.

State Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco/San Mateo, also passed 14 new laws in 2008, ranging from increasing government transparency to protecting victims of domestic violence.

“These new laws will help children, bring greater transparency to government, protect workers and consumers, enhance public safety, safeguard the environment and improve health access” Yee said in a statement this week.

Senate Bill 1356 prevents domestic violence victims from being threatened with jail or counseling for refusing to testify against their accused abuser. It mirrors a 1991 law for sexual assault victims, commonly referred to as a shield law. Schwarzenegger signed the bill in July, ending a three-year battle which had its beginnings in a San Mateo County domestic violence trial with an uncooperative victim.

Yee proposed SB 1217 in response to the Cosco Busan oil spill in the San Francisco Bay. The new law will provide greater public oversight of the board that regulates the San Francisco Bar Pilots. The law will require that a physician will evaluate the effects of prescription medications that a pilot may be taking and requires the physician to determine if the individual is fit to perform his or her duties.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 71, authored by Yee, will name the tunnel being constructed on the San Mateo County coast as the Tom Lantos Tunnel at Devil’s Slide.

Assemblyman Ira Ruskin, D-Redwood City, continued this legislative year with an emphasis on the environment.

Schwarzenegger signed into law four environmental bills authored by Ruskin this year. The bills address wildlife habitats, mercury recycling, solid waste disposal and Hetch Hetchy. In recent days, Schwarzenegger signed a total of seven bills authored by Ruskin, including one that makes it easier to obtain college textbooks.

Assembly Bill 2261 allows community colleges to utilize free online course materials. These “Open Education Resources” — books with expired copyrights or those whose authors allow free educational use — can be used by faculty statewide, which will dramatically reduce the cost of textbooks for many community college students. The Foothill-DeAnza Community College District is expected to make a bid to run the pilot program, according to Ruskin’s office.

A brief look at laws passed by local state senators

SB 640 - Protecting childhood victims of sexual abuse

The law is designed to close a loophole in the law that currently prevents victims of childhood sexual abuse from seeking justice later in life, and which inadvertently creates an incentive for school districts and other public agencies to look the other way in cases of sexual misconduct by their staff.

SB 1401 – Helping veterans with traumatic brain injury

The law will create outreach programs for veterans to learn about and seek treatment for traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), ensuring that service men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are aware of the causes, symptoms, impacts and treatment options for these injuries.

SB 1400 – Outlawing deceptive sweepstakes practices

The law will strengthen California’s consumer protections against deceptive sweepstakes practices that prey on the most vulnerable Californians, particularly senior citizens.

SB 1311 - Expanding loan program for small businesses

The law will make more loans available for small businesses to grow their business by restructuring the state’s existing small business loan program known as the California Capital Access Program (CalCAP).

SB 509 – Furthering California’s “green chemistry” efforts

The law establishes the Toxics Information Clearinghouse to allow consumers, businesses, and workers to gain knowledge about the chemicals in their workplaces, homes and daily lives.

SB 1399 – Settling the “trees vs. solar” debate

The law addresses the contentious issue of “trees versus solar power,” which drew international attention earlier this year when two Sunnyvale homeowners were criminally prosecuted because their trees cast shade on their neighbor’s solar panels. Among other things, the law protects trees and shrubs planted before the installation of a solar collector; eliminates criminal prosecution as a penalty for violation of the California Solar Shade Control Act; and makes it easier for local communities to adopt and enforce their own local ordinances.

SB 1696 - Access to government contracts

The law will allow greater access to government contracts as well as audits and reviews of public agencies. It was proposed in response to the University of California’s failure to disclose public documents.

SB 1370 - Free speech protections for school journalism advisors

The law will protect high school and college teachers and other employees from retaliation by administrators as a result of student speech, which most often happens when a journalism advisor or professor is disciplined for content in a student newspaper.

SB 697 - Balance billing

The bill will stop excessive and surprise medical bills for low-income families by banning the predatory practice of “balance billing” for those enrolled in Healthy Families and Access for Infants and Mothers (AIM).

SB 1519 - Illegal taxicab operations

The law will help eliminate illegally operating taxicabs by allowing phone service for an illegal taxicab operation to be disconnected and provides a fine of up to $5,000 per a violation.

SB 1419 - Double fines on 19th Avenue

The law will protect San Francisco pedestrians by declaring double fine zones on 19th and Van Ness avenues.

Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106.