By Pete Williams - NBC News
The new year brings a host of new state laws into effect across the country, from banning popular brands of sunscreen to cracking down on those who drive while holding a cell phone.
A requirement that will be imposed this year
will affect millions of travelers
.
Beginning this fall, every airline passenger 18 years of age or older will be required to have a
Real ID driver's license
or other authorized form of identification, such as a passport.
States must verify applicants' documents to verify their identities before issuing the new licenses, which incorporate features that make them
more difficult to forge
.
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“We want to make sure that all the traveling public will have these IDs in their hands.
Increase security across borders, ”Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told NBC News.
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The requirement, which has been consistently delayed for the last decade, was due to take effect in 2020. But the Department of Homeland Security postponed it when the COVID-19 pandemic made it more difficult for drivers to go to local vehicle departments.
Now, the law will go into effect on October 1.
Travelers who want to board a plane using their driver's licenses to identify themselves must have those that comply with the Real ID legislation, which was passed by Congress after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The new licenses
have a star
on them. the upper right hand.
Wolf said 114 million Americans already have a Real ID license and all 50 states are already distributing it.
But while some states have issued Real ID licenses to 90% of their residents, others have only reached less than 25%, he said.
Sunscreens with oxybenzone and octylmethoxycinnamate cannot be used in Hawaii starting in 2021.
Among other laws that will go into effect on January 1, is the ban in Hawaii, the first nationwide, to
sell or distribute sunscreens
that contain chemicals that the state says can harm coral reefs and other forms of marine life. .
“Our natural environment is fragile, and our interaction with the Earth can have lasting impacts.
This new law is just one step to protect the health and resilience of Hawaii's coral reefs, ”said Governor David Ige.
Cancer specialists have warned residents and visitors to find brands that do not contain the banned chemicals,
oxybenzone and octylmethoxycinnamate
.
"We don't want to decrease the use of sunscreen, which has been shown to reduce the risk of skin cancer," said Kevin Cassel, a researcher at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center.
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A new environmental law in Delaware will go into effect in the new year to
ban single-use plastic bags
.
Supporters of the restriction say it will decrease garbage and the amount of plastic in landfills.
Plastic bags can also get stuck in the machinery of recycling facilities, forcing them to stop working.
Starting in the New Year, drivers in Arizona and Virginia can be stopped and fined by police if they
hold a cell phone while driving
.
It is a primary offense, which means that a driver can be stopped even if no other traffic laws are being violated.
“That text message can wait.
It's not worth your life, ”said Arizona Governor Doug Ducey.
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A new Missouri law requires all security officers to be
trained to recognize implicit bias
and de-escalate conflict.
Governor Mike Parson said the requirements "address the challenges they face on a daily basis and facilitate better communication and interaction with the public."
Beginning January 1, every child born or adopted in Illinois will have
$ 50
deposited in a college savings account, the goal of which is to keep up with rising tuition.
Sponsors of the measure said children are more likely to attend college if an account is opened for them.
And Mississippi residents can toast 2021, no matter where they live.
As of New Year's Day, the state has removed all remaining laws
limiting alcohol possession
, removing one of the last vestiges of the ban.