California and the West : Lighter Side of Lawmaking : Capitol: Legislators took time out from weightier matters to consider fire ants, dance studios, and air and water at gas stations.

Each year, there lurk amid the weighty legislative efforts emerging from the Capitol a few that are, shall we say, on the lighter side.

Last year it was earwax, kitchen grease and the right of restaurants to use raw eggs in salad dressing.

This year has not been quite that much fun. But the Legislature did ensure that we annihilate California’s fire ants, give dance studios a break and read the fine print before getting married.

Such topics may seem like small potatoes compared to HMO reform, gun control and other hearty fare served up by Sacramento this year. But they certainly will benefit some Californians--and enliven cocktail hour for the rest of us.

Here are a few of 1999’s more unusual accomplishments:

Boogie On

California legislators were a soft-hearted group back in the 1960s. On learning that lonely widows were squandering their savings on dance lessons, they enacted the Dance Act, capping the amount a dance studio could charge for a bundle of lessons.

Over time, this cap (now $3,750) began to seem unreasonable to dance studios--specifically, Arthur Murray International. The studio said raising the cap is “necessary so that Arthur Murray Studios may continue to provide quality instruction to their students.”

Enter Tony Strickland, Republican assemblyman from Thousand Oaks. Strickland’s bill (AB 648) eliminates the cap, but also allows a student to get a refund for lessons not yet received. It awaits the signature of Gov. Gray Davis.

Till Death Do Us Part

Government is big on warnings. Cigarettes, NutraSweet, drinking alcohol while pregnant--the list goes on and on. Now it’s about to get longer.

A bill by Assemblywoman Hannah Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) requires that each person receiving a marriage license also get a fact sheet on the rights and responsibilities of holy matrimony.

Jackson, a first-termer and family law attorney, believes that before they say “I do,” couples ought to know a thing or two about property rights, child support and other legal implications of their merry union.

Despite howls of protest from Republicans who said their marriages worked out just fine without such meddling, the bill passed and is awaiting action by California’s first husband (a.k.a. Davis).

Clean Potties

Nothing irritates road-weary travelers more than a scummy gas station bathroom--so says Assemblywoman Nell Soto (D-Pomona). Soto viewed the problem as being so serious that she wanted the California Highway Patrol to investigate complaints of dirty roadside restrooms and issue tickets.

That effort failed when the CHP respectfully declined the role of potty police. Now Soto’s bill, AB 531, focuses on free air and water for gas station customers and provides an 800 number for complaints if they are not available. Service stations violating the rules could be fined up to $250 per complaint. The bill is on the governor’s desk.

Cybershame

Deadbeat retailers beware: If you owe sales tax to the state, the folks at the Board of Equalization may out you on the Internet.

Transporting “The Scarlet Letter” into the Cyber Age, the Legislature aims to post the names of California’s top 12 tax scofflaws on the Board of Equalization Web site.

“I call them the dirty dozen,” says Assemblyman Mike Honda (D-San Jose), who wrote AB 790 and says the state wastes a lot of money chasing the deadbeats.

Big Thoughts

And finally, from the man who brought us a statewide task force on self-esteem in the 1980s: The Joint Committee on Preparing California for the 21st Century.

Launched by Sen. John Vasconcellos (D-San Jose), the committee’s goals are, as its heavy-duty name suggests, ambitious (and, we might add, no laughing matter). Let’s allow its creator to explain:

“The Legislature should lead the people of California in a public dialogue regarding the most profound cross-cutting changes and challenges, including, but not limited to, race, diversity, technology, learning, families, health, communities, violence, aging, and environmental sustainability, facing us as we move into the 21st century.”