Starting on Thursday, the cost of tying the knot in Minnesota will get a little pricier.
And come May, a day is being set aside to remember veterans who served in foreign wars.
Both developments are the result of laws that take effect Thursday in Minnesota.
Here is more information on those and other changes:
Vital statistics
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The cost for a certified copy of a birth certificate will be $26, an increase of $10. Additional certified copies of the same certificate ordered at the same time as the first copy will increase to $19.
In addition, the full fee for a marriage license will increase from $110 to $115.
The extra $5 surcharge will go toward paying for the state's "Couples on the Brink" program.
Military
A new law designates May 28 as Veterans of Foreign Wars Day in Minnesota.
The law recognizes May 28 because that is the day the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization was founded in 1899.
Safety
A new law expands the types of professionals permitted to draw blood in connection with DWI cases.
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As of Thursday, the list will include medical personnel trained in a licensed hospital or educational institution.
Health
A new law requires the state Department of Health to establish guidelines for medical personnel when lead levels in a child's blood are from 5 to 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood. The federal standard for certain actions to be taken is 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood.
The law puts Minnesota among states and cities "getting more serious" about addressing potential problems associated with lead exposure at early ages, said Samuel Yamin of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, which championed the new law.
The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead and the Herald are owned by Forum Communications Co.
