Ignorance of a new law is no excuse, and some folks learn that lesson the hard way.

Sometimes, the penalty is financial and, sometimes, it is inconvenience. Either way, it's worth a review of what you now can or can't do in Oregon following the Jan. 1 effective date for various laws passed by the Oregon Legislature.

• Eighteen months ago, lawmakers expanded smoke-free requirements to include bars and taverns, effective the first of this year. In fact, it now is illegal to smoke within 10 feet of any entrance, including windows or ventilation systems, of any indoor work site. Some call it government intrusion into private life, but others say it's about time.

This is part of the continuing movement in protection of potential victims of secondhand smoke, which is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers. According to the American Lung Association, it contains more than 250 toxic or cancer-causing chemicals, including formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, arsenic, ammonia and hydrogen cyanide.

Opponents of the law think they have the right to poison their bodies if they want - free will, they call it. One couple in Portland reportedly will move to Idaho rather than comply with the new Oregon law. Now that's free will, indeed.

Bar and tavern owners complain they will lose business because of the ban. According to statistics from Washington, which passed a similar law in 2005, business indeed was flat for the first year, but it bounced back by 20 percent in 2007. Chances are, that pattern will repeat itself in Oregon.

• Another law passed in 2007 was an amendment to the state's ground-breaking, 38-year-old bottle bill that now requires a 5-cent deposit on water and flavored water in plastic bottles. In addition, customers now may return beer, soft drink and water containers to any store that sells that type of product. Previously, returns could be made only to stores that carried that specific brand.

Since Oregonians typically return about 80 percent of refundable containers, an estimated 126 million plastic water bottles will be saved from landfills. If a 2009 legislative task force is successful, even more beverage containers will be included in future amendments, such as those that hold juice, tea, coffee and sports drinks.

• In keeping with this green theme, televisions, computers and laptops now can be dropped off for free at recycling centers across the state. In McMinnville, Western Oregon Waste's Recovery Zone, located on Orchard Avenue, will take the devices.

The program is financed by electronics manufacturers and jointly implemented with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. This program, however, does not include keyboards, mice, speakers, printers, scanners or other types of electronics. DEQ requires participating recyclers to meet environmentally sound management practices for safe handling and recycling of collected materials.

• Beginning Jan. 1, Oregon DMV officials started verifying immigration documents through a homeland security system. This requirement does not apply to citizens with a U.S. passport or a U.S. birth certificate.

However, another DMV law that went into effect July 1, 2008, can be more onerous for some people, especially married women or men who have changed their names. These rules apply for everyone every time a license or identification card is changed or renewed, so don't wait until the last minute to collect these governmentally issued documents: proof of citizenship or lawful presence in this country; proof of Social Security number or proof that you are not entitled to a SSN; and proof of legal name, including birth certificate; and copies of all marriage certificates.

• Also beginning this year, all-terrain vehicle riders younger than 16 are required to take a safety training course; and longer prison sentences go into effect for repeat drug and property crimes.

For the most part, we see these changes in Oregon law as steps in the right direction. We encourage our readers to educate themselves and avoid the consequences of ignorance.