Last year, Gov. Schwarzenegger approved a new law, to take effect in 2008, that will bar drivers from using cell phones unless a hands-free device is used. Now, the governor has signed another bill, Senate Bill 33, that takes this prohibition one step further where teenagers are involved.

The new bill--which takes effect on July 1, 2008, along with last year's bill--will prohibit individuals under the age of 18 from driving while using a mobile phone, even if a hands-free device is used. The law also bars these teens from driving while using any other mobile service device, such as a broadband personal communication device, specialized mobile radio device, pager, two-way messaging device, or a handheld device or laptop computer with mobile data access.

The ban won't apply if the teen has to make a call for emergency purposes, such as making an emergency call to a law enforcement agency. Violations will carry a $20 fine for first offenses and $50 for subsequent offenses.

If you hire teens who drive as part of their jobs, keep this new law and some existing labor law rules in mind. Generally, teens under the age of 17 can't drive on public streets for work purposes.

Seventeen-year-olds may drive but with restrictions, including that the driving be during daylight hours and amount to no more than one-third of the youth's work time in a day or 20 percent in a week.