Login | January 11, 2025
New state laws taking in effect in 2025 include various hot topics
DAVID A. LIEB
Associated Press
Published: January 10, 2025
The new year brings new laws in some states. For example, the start of 2025 will mean new guidelines around artificial intelligence and social media in some states, higher minimum wages in many places and new mandates elsewhere on controversial issues such as abortion and guns.
Many of the laws launching in January are a result of legislation passed during the previous year. Others stem from ballot measures approved by voters. Some face legal challenges that could delay implementation.
The cycle of lawmaking is ongoing. Not long after the first of January, lawmakers in many states will convene again to begin debating more proposed changes to state statutes.
View state details on new minimum wage and marijuana laws
HOW TO KNOW WHEN NEW LAWS TAKE EFFECT
There is no single source that lists the effective dates of every new law in every state. So figuring that out may take a little searching.
In many states, bills that become law have a standard effective date that kicks in unless otherwise noted in the legislation. In some states, such as as California and Oregon, that standard effective date is Jan. 1. But in other states, it's July 1, or a certain number of days after the bill is passed.
Lawmakers can override the default dates by inserting specific effective dates in bills. The new year often is chosen as the start date for tax and wage changes.
The legislative tracking service StateScape maintains a state-by-state list of standard legislative effective dates.
The websites for your state's legislative chambers are a good source to search for specific new laws. This U.S. Congress website contains links to each state's legislative websites.
But if that seems a bit daunting or complicated, another approach is to search your state's statutes. The Legal Information Institute at Cornell University contains a link to the statutes of each state. From your state's statutes page, you can then search by keywords such as "2025" or "January 1, 2025" to find provisions in state law taking effect with the new year. This will turn up not only laws passed during the previous year but also laws passed earlier that had delayed effective dates.
HOW TO KNOW WHERE YOUR STATE RANKS, FROM FIRST TO LAST
Every now and then, a state is the first to enact a law on a particular topic. One example is California's new law prohibiting school districts from requiring staff to inform parents when their children change their gender identification.
But more often, the new laws in your state are part of a national trend. A variety of organizations track state laws, depending on the topics.
The National Conference of State Legislatures tracks many different things. For example, a new law in Missouri imposes penalties on people for holding their cellphones while driving. The NCSL notes that 29 states have laws banning handheld cellphones for drivers. The NCSL also has a state-by-state list of distracted driving and cellphone use laws.
OTHER TOPIC-SPECIFIC RESOURCES FOR STATE LAWS
Here are some resources for some of the most common or controversial topics for state laws:
ABORTION: A new Delaware law will require Medicaid and state employee health plans to cover abortion without copayments or other cost-sharing for patients. It's the latest of many states to change abortion laws after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a national right to abortion in 2022. The Associated Press has tracked abortion restrictions by state, available here.
GUNS: A new Minnesota law will ban "binary triggers" that allow guns to fire more rapidly while a new Delaware law adds colleges and universities to a list of school zones where guns are prohibited. Various advocacy groups track state gun laws and legislation, including the National Rifle Association and the gun-violence prevention group Giffords.
MARIJUANA: Kentucky is becoming the latest state to allow people to use marijuana for medical purposes. The Marijuana Policy Project, which supports legalization, tracks state laws regarding both recreational and medical marijuana. View an AP interactive on this issue. An embed code is included below.
MINIMUM WAGE: More than 20 states and dozens of local governments will raise their minimum wages in January. The National Employment Law Project has tracked those changes, with a report that can be downloaded from its website. View an AP interactive on this issue. An embed code is included below.
CONSIDER THESE REPORTING THREADS
— Are new laws taking effect in your state? Research this on your own or reach out to legislative leaders or staff. What do the new laws do? Why were they passed? What do people think about the new laws?
— If your state has new laws, do they come with costs or savings for residents and businesses? Tax changes and wage laws can have obvious effects. But also consider whether new laws impose requirements that could cost more for businesses or subject people to new penalties for violations.
— Is there organized opposition to new laws in your state? For example, are new laws facing legal challenges that have delayed implementation or seek to block the laws permanently? What's at issue in those cases? Are there already efforts among some lawmakers to repeal or revise certain provisions of new laws?
— What's on the horizon? As state legislatures convene again in 2025, what's on their agenda? Talk to legislative leaders or to lawmakers representing your area to get a sense of their priorities.