RALEIGH - Sheyenne's Law and the 2016 Farm Act are among 12 new laws going into effect December 1.

"Sheyenne's Law will now send a strong message that drunk driving in a boat is just as dangerous as in a car, while the Farm Act will help further protect our farms and farmers," said Governor McCrory in a press release. "These two laws will help protect two of North Carolina’s most important assets: our families and agriculture. I’m proud that these initiatives are among many other news laws making North Carolina the best state to live, work and raise a family."

Sheyenne’s Law strengthens penalties for causing death or serious injury by impaired boating from a misdemeanor to a felony. On June 27, 2016, Governor McCrory signed House Bill 958, which was named in honor of Sheyenne Marshall, a Concord teen and rising senior at Cox Mill killed by a drunk boater on Lake Norman over the 2015 Fourth of July weekend.

The governor signed Senate Bill 770, the 2016 Farm Act, during a special ceremony on July 26, 2016. The bill's key provisions will help the state to better respond to agricultural emergencies, give school districts in the state the ability to proritize food grown and raised in the state for schools, and will streamline regulations on construction, installation, repair, replacement and alteration of farm structures