Across the country, the new year will usher in thousands of new state laws.
At least 20 states increase statewide minimum wage starting Jan. 1 — the highest in Washington state at $16.66 an hour, followed by California at $16.50. Kentucky becomes the latest state to legalize medical marijuana and several states, including Delaware, tighten gun control .
Here are other significant state laws taking effect Jan 1.
Taylor Swift ticket meltdown spurs industry changes
Minnesota is the latest state to increase transparency when purchasing tickets to concerts, sporting events and other large-scale events.
“The Ticketing Fairness Act” will require “all-in pricing” to ensure ticket buyers know the total cost of a ticket upfront. The law bans deceptive advertising and speculative pricing. The bill’s sponsor, Democratic state Rep. Kelly Moeller, says the inspiration for the bill came from her experience in trying to secure tickets for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Minneapolis last summer, widely viewed as a Ticketmaster fiasco .
The Minnesota law also bans bot services from buying tickets to drive up costs. Gov. Tim Walz signed the bill over the summer. It follows similar legislation signed into law by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
Kids under 14 banned from social media
A Florida law that bans children under 14 from having social media accounts, and limits 14 and 15-year-olds to accounts authorized by their parents, takes effect Wednesday. However, Social media companies may not immediately kick those kids off their platforms.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody agreed in November not to enforce the law while litigation is ongoing. In October, parties filed a lawsuit against the Florida law saying that some states have “taken it upon themselves to restrict minors’ access to constitutionally protected speech.”
As NPR has reported, states like Florida may look to Australia to see how that country’s new social media ban for kids under 16 shakes out.
California toughens penalties for retail and drug crimes
California Democrats and Republicans alike say they felt pressure this year to pass a slate of new laws to stiffen penalties for retail theft and drug-related crimes.
Together, the laws make it easier to aggregate similar crimes in charges, even across jurisdictions. They also make it a crime to break into a car, even if it’s unlocked.
Democrats proposed many of the new crime laws after Proposition 36 made it to the ballot. That measure strengthened penalties for drug and theft-related crimes and increased treatment requirements. It passed in November with about 70% support.
Prenatal care leave offered in New York
A first in the country, New York state will offer all private-sector pregnant workers 20 hours of paid leave a year for prenatal care. Federal, state or local government employees are not entitled to the new leave.
The leave can be taken for monitoring, discussions with a health care provider needed to ensure a healthy pregnancy, end of pregnancy care or fertility treatments, among other services .
Preventing forced outing in schools
A new California law says schools can no longer require teachers to out LGBTQ+ students to their parents.
The law is in response to several California school districts enacting policies that require teachers to let parents know if their child identifies with a gender other than what is listed on their school record.
The new law doesn’t prevent teachers from outing students to their parents if they’re not coerced.
Iowa flat tax heralded as a model
Wednesday, Iowa joins states that charge a flat individual income tax. The new rate for all income taxpayers will be 3.8% .
With the addition of Iowa and Louisiana, which is adopting a 3% income tax in the New Year, a total of 14 states will have adopted flat income tax systems.
Iowa Democrats warn the new system could tank state revenues, causing long-term budget headaches for lawmakers and possibly forcing cuts to education and health care services that dominate the state budget.
Recent projections predict a $1 billion overall decline in state revenue over two years.
Republicans, including Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, say the tax cuts, which Republicans have implemented incrementally , are working as intended. They point out GOP lawmakers have the option to draw from more than $6 billion in surplus funds and other reserves to make up for revenue shortfalls.
Clay Masters is a senior politics reporter for Minnesota Public Radio News . Megan Myscofski is a statehouse and politics reporter at CapRadio . Grant Gerlock is a reporter at Iowa Public Radio .
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