Artificial intelligence. Abortion. Guns. Marijuana. Minimum wage.
Name a hot topic, and there’s a good chance a new law will take effect in 2025 in one state or another.
Many of the laws launched in January are the result of laws passed this year. Others arise from voter-approved ballot measures. Some face legal challenges.
Here’s a look at some of the most notable state laws taking effect:
Hollywood stars and child influencers
California, home to Hollywood and some of the biggest tech companies, is looking to master the artificial intelligence industry and put some parameters around social media stars. New laws aim to prevent the use of digital replicas of Hollywood actors and artists without permission and allow the estates of deceased artists to sue for unauthorized use of AI.
Parents who profit from social media posts featuring their children will be required to set aside a portion of their income for their young influencers. A new law also allows children to sue their parents for failing to do so.
Limitations of social networks
New social media restrictions in several states are facing legal challenges.
Florida law bans children under 14 to have social media and requires parental consent for 14 and 15 year olds. But its application is delayed due to a lawsuit filed by two associations of online companies, the hearing of which is scheduled for the end of February.
Also a new Tennessee law requires parental authorization for minors to open accounts on social networks. NetChoice, an industry group for online businesses, is challenging the law. Another new state law requires porn websites to verify that visitors are at least 18 years old. But the Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the adult entertainment industry, filed a lawsuit.
Several new Californian measures aimed at fight against political deepfakes are also contested, including one requiring major social media platforms to remove misleading election-related content and another allowing any individual to sue for damages for the use of AI to create fabricated images or videos in political advertisements.
School rules on gender
In a national first, California will begin enforcing a law prohibiting school districts from adopting policies requiring staff to notify parents if their children change their gender identification. The law was a priority for Democratic lawmakers who wanted to end policies adopted by several districts.
Abortion coverage
Many states have passed laws limit or protect the right to abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a national due process in 2022. One of the latest is the Democratic-led state of Delaware. Legislation will require state employee health plans and Medicaid plans for low-income residents. to cover abortions without excessco-pays or other cost-sharing requirements.
Gun control
A new Minnesota law bans guns with “binary triggers” that allow for faster firing, causing a gun to fire one shot when the trigger is pressed and another when it is released.
In Delaware, a law adds colleges and universities to a list of school zones where guns are banned, with exceptions for those working in their official capacity, such as court officers and licensed security guards.
Medical Marijuana
Kentucky is becoming the latest state to allow people to use medical marijuana. To apply for a national medical cannabis card, individuals must obtain written certification from a medical provider attesting to a qualifying medical condition, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea or post-traumatic stress disorder. Nearly four-fifths of U.S. states have now legalized medical marijuana.
Minimum wage
Minimum wage workers in more than 20 states are set to receive raises in January. The highest minimum wages will be in Washington, California and Connecticut, where they will all exceed $16 an hour after modest increases.
The largest increases are planned in Delaware, where the minimum wage will rise from $1.75 to $15 an hour, and in Nebraska, where a voter-approved ballot measure in 2022, this will add $1.50 to the current minimum of $12 an hour.
Twenty other states still have the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
Travel safer
In Oregon, drug use on public transportation will be considered a misdemeanor of interfering with public transportation. As the measure worked its way through the Legislature, several transportation officials said drug use on buses and trains, as well as at transit stops and stations, made passengers and passengers less safe drivers.
In Missouri, law enforcement has spent the past 16 months warning motorists that cellphone use is illegal. Starting in the new year, penalties will come into effect: a fine of $150 for the first offense, increasing to $500 for the third and subsequent offenses and up to 15 years imprisonment if a driver uses a phone laptop causes injury or death. But police must notice a primary violation, such as speeding or changing lanes, to cite motorists for violating the cell phone law.
Montana is the only state that has not done so. ban on texting while drivingaccording to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Tax reliefs
Arizona renters will no longer have to pay tax on their monthly rentthanks to the repeal of a law that allowed cities to impose such taxes. Although a victory for tenants, the new law represents a financial loss for governments. An analysis by the nonpartisan Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee estimated that $230 million would be lost in municipal tax revenue during the first full fiscal year of implementation.
Meanwhile, Alabama will offer tax credits to businesses that help their employees cover child care costs.
Kansas is eliminating its 2% sales tax on groceries. It is also reduce personal income tax by lowering the top tax rate, increasing the child care expense credit, and exempting all Social Security income from taxes, among other things. Taxpayers are now expected to save about $320 million a year.
Right to vote
An Oklahoma law extends voting rights to people who have been convicted of felonies but have had their sentences overturned or commuted, including commutations for crimes that have been reclassified from felonies to misdemeanors. Former Sen. George Young, an Oklahoma City Democrat, carried the bill through the Senate.
“I think it’s very important for people who have gone through trials and tribulations in their lives to have a system that brings them back and allows them to participate as contributing citizens,” Young said.
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Associated Press writers Trân Nguyễn in Sacramento, California; Kate Payne in Tallahassee, Florida; Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tenn.; Randall Chase in Dover, Del.; Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; Bruce Schreiner in Frankfort, Kentucky; Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon; Summer Ballerina in Jefferson City, Missouri; Gabriel Sandoval in Phoenix; Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Ala.; John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas; and Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed.
