by Ted Polakowski
27. December 2011
In my job here at Citation Technologies I deal daily with laws, regulations, decrees, proclamations and just about every other type of regulatory vehicle. But, it has only been recently that I have become aware of how important January 1st is to me and my Citation coworkers. I used to look at New Year’s Day as just the first holiday of the year, and as a day of recuperation with non-stop football watching. Just what is needed after a night of intense celebration culminating with the singing of Auld Lang Syne at midnight. I didn’t really consider how true singing about out with the old and in with the new really means to all of us here.
The striking of midnight on December 31st more than on any other day resets the rules by which all of us have to play. As I was working in the office the other day I became aware of just how many notices and reminders were being issued regarding the change of some rule or regulation slated to go into effect on January 1st. For example, in scanning my email and regulatory databases I see that in some city in Alaska, for the first time ever, all vehicles will have to be registered and have insurance (wow! seems like that was always a requirement). Then, of course, the next series of regulations from our new health care law becomes effective on the first and the Federal Reserve’s new Regulation Z on consumer protection kicks in as well. There are many more important regulations that are slated for implementation on the first day of the new year, such as the redefinition of what wine is in the state of California (I think I will research that one a little more) and the fact that it will no longer be legal to text and drive in Canada. There is going to be a new Marine Protected Area off the coast of Southern California and there are new live fishing bait rules in Kansas that become active on the first. Also, baseball bat marking rules are changing on this date as well. The list just goes on and on.
I dare say that on New Year’s Day more than any other during the year we redefine, for better or worse, the way we will interact with each other and our environment. And so I submit that renaming this day to NEW REGULATIONS DAY will only help to reinforce the fact that when we venture back to work on the 3rd there will truly be a new rule set to learn about and to comply with. And thus, thanks to rule makers the world over who deliver all of these additions and changes, that we know our jobs are here at Citation for yet another year.
From all of us regulatory followers and bloggers at Citation Technologies as well as our guest contributors we wish you and yours,
A healthy, happy and prosperous NEW YEAR!
