Austin Lewis
Managing Editor

Yesterday was Pi Day, so it's only fitting that a piece of one of this week's Tribune articles is devoted to pizza (kind of…we'll get there in 30 minutes or less).

There's just one month to go until April 15, and if you didn't notice the FTB's upgraded website¹ when it launched last summer, you're certainly aware of it now. The differences are plain to see: Your old FTB bookmarks don't work, many older tax forms and Board of Equalization appeals are no longer available for download, and the site as a whole has been redesigned. Topping it all, the website's search function was widely panned by users upon launch because the results it delivered were only a small slice of what was actually available on the website.

Despite the early problems, the new website wasn't a half-baked idea on behalf of the FTB. The agency had to carry out the changes after the 2017 passage of AB 434,² which required state websites to meet the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

Government agencies aren't the only entities dealing with accessibility issues. Domino's is facing a lawsuit from a blind man who was unable to order food using either Domino's website or mobile app because they weren't compatible with his screen-reading software.³ That left him without access to exclusive discounts that aren't available when placing orders on the phone or in a store.

The man's attorneys cited the Americans with Disabilities Act in their argument before the Ninth Circuit, which sided in his favor. Domino's appealed to the Supreme Court, which last fall declined to hear the case and tossed it back to the Ninth Circuit for a possible trial.

Editor's note: We apologize if any of the preceding pizza puns left you annoyed.

Kathryn Zdan, EA
Editorial Director

Up until recently, dropping an F-bomb in public in Virginia meant a Class 4 misdemeanor and a $250 fine. But legislators have voted to repeal this law,¹ which has been on the books since 1792 (the original fine was 83¢). If Governor Ralph Northam signs the bill, Virginians will be able to let it fly Yosemite-Sam–style starting July 1.

Here are some other bizarre state laws that are still in effect:²

• California: A frog that dies during a frog-jumping contest cannot be eaten and must be destroyed as soon as possible.
• Idaho: Cannibalism is strictly prohibited and punishable by up to 14 years in prison, except under "life-threatening conditions as the only apparent means of survival."
• Illinois: It's illegal to possess more than $600 worth of salamanders. That's 75-plus salamanders, according to fair market value.
• Iowa: Anyone trying to pass off margarine as real butter is guilty of a misdemeanor under food-labeling laws in Iowa. "Renovated butter" must also be labeled as such.
• Massachusetts: Singing or playing only part of the national anthem or remixing it as dance music is punishable by a fine of not more than $100.
• New Hampshire: It's illegal to carry away or collect seaweed at night.
• North Dakota: All members of North Dakota's Dry Pea and Lentil Council must be citizens.
• West Virginia: It is illegal to substitute a hunting dog with a ferret.
• Wyoming: This state doesn't levy an income tax on residents. So while that makes it harder for tax professionals to make a living there, it might be a good place to retire because Wyoming doesn't tax retirement income earned and received from other states.