Dumb Law Tour Contest Winner: Texas
As part of our never-ending quest to keep you up-to-date on all aspects of employment law (even the dumb ones), our official Dumb Law Tour of the U.S. recently brought us to the great state of Texas. We gave you the following dumb laws and offered a prize to the first person to spot the bogus one:
- Employees may not emit obnoxious odors in an elevator.
- Hotels, conference centers, stores, banks, railroad depots and saloons are required to provide spittoons for employees and customers “of a kind and number to efficiently contain expectorations.”
- Employees may not toss confetti, rubber balls, feather dusters, whips or explosives of any kind in the workplace.
- Employees are prohibited from eating a co-worker’s garbage without permission.
- At company-sanctioned social gatherings, employees may not take more than three sips of beer while standing.
- It is illegal to drive company vehicles without windshield wipers (note: a windshield is not required, just wipers).
- Employees are forbidden from milking someone else’s cow in the workplace.
- It is illegal to mention the name of the state directly to the north, which “shall heretofore be referred to as the ‘smaller, vastly inferior state shaped like some kind of cooking utensil.’”
- Employees may not tuck their pants into one boot unless they own ten or more cattle.
- Company horses may not be ridden at night without taillights.
- Employees may not drive a company vehicle while within an arm’s length of alcohol (even if the alcohol is inside another person’s body).
- An employee may become legally married by introducing a person as his or her spouse three or more times at a company gathering.
- Employees may not sell their own skin to a co-worker.
- Criminals are required to give victims at least 24 hours’ notice explaining the nature of the crime they plan to commit
CONGRATS TO ERIN, the first person to correctly identify #8 as the bogus law. To reward her obvious legal acumen, we’ll send her a certificate good for any of the fine merchants at giftcertificates.com.
Thanks to all who participated and special thanks to the most excellent legal research sites dumblaws.com, crazylaws.com and idiotlaws.com. If you have any dumb laws that you would like to bring to the world’s attention, please send me an e-mail at blawg@na.manpower.com.
Official Disclaimer: Please note that the laws listed here are purely for entertainment purposes and that we make no representations or warranties concerning the validity or applicability of any particular law.














