Florida Governor Rick Scott has signed a bill inspired by 2-year-old Caylee Anthony's death. As you recall, Casey Anthony was found not guilty of the serious felony counts she faced. However, she was found guilty of four misdemeanor counts of providing false information to law enforcement. Under Florida law at the time, those counts only carried maximum terms of one year in jail each.
After a legislative session, the Governor signed a bill into law which now makes the crime of knowingly making a false statement to police about a missing child a third-degree felony, punishable by up to fiveyears in prison.
While Casey Anthony was sentenced to the maximum jail time - four years - she was released shortly after the verdict because she had served out her jail sentence while awaiting trial.
This is not the first time Florida lawmakers have changed laws, turning misdemeanors into felonies. When some noteworthy event occurs exposing a perceived weakness in the law, the legislature can take measures to make the penalties more severe.