Wilson Ring -
The Associated Press
Increases in the minimum wage, protection of animals, greater control of the police, and increases or decreases in taxes are part of a series of new laws that will take effect throughout the country this Saturday, January 1, 2022.
Some of those rules, like the restriction on abortion in New Hampshire or the police reform measures passed in Illinois, Oregon and North Carolina,
address some of the most contentious issues of our time.
Others, like a Maine law passed in the wake of an explosion in September 2019 that killed one firefighter and injured another, have a more limited focus and were passed to remedy specific situations.
Some affect fundamental rights: Connecticut Paternity Law allows unmarried, same-sex or non-biological parents to obtain parental rights through a simple form that gives them legal capabilities immediately after the child's birth.
Fast food workers pass a McDonald's restaurant demanding a minimum wage of $ 15 an hour in East Los Angeles. Damian Dovarganes / AP
Others are controversial: in Kansas you can buy license plates with the
Don't Tread on Me
symbol
and the coiled snake that appears on the Gadsden flag, a symbol considered racist by many and that has been adopted, probably for that reason,
by far-right groups.
Here is a summary of some of the new laws that will go into effect on the first day of the year:
Abortion
In the state of New Hampshire, abortion will be prohibited after 24 weeks of gestation, with exceptions for risk to the life or physical health of the mother.
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The new New Hampshire law comes at a time when the Supreme Court is studying a case that could seriously erode the right to abortion, in force for half a century precisely because of an earlier court decision.
Republican lawmakers in other states are willing to further restrict or outright ban abortion, while Democrats try to guarantee access to abortion.
minimum salary
California will become the first state to require a minimum wage of $ 15 per hour for businesses with more than 25 employees.
Other localities in the country have already reached this threshold.
Another 20 states are also increasing their minimum wages to amounts less than $ 15.
A handful of states do not have a statewide minimum wage law, which means they rely on
the federal minimum wage of $ 7.25 per hour.
Taxes
In Georgia, a new law increases the amount people can earn before they start paying state taxes.
The tax cut will save individual filers up to $ 43 a year, and married couples filing jointly up to $ 63.
Georgia teachers who agree to work in certain low-performing or rural schools
could get up to $ 3,000 a year off
their state taxes for five years.
In Oklahoma, the maximum rate of personal income tax drops from 5% to 4.75%.
Lawmakers also lowered the corporate tax rate from 6% to 4%.
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"I am committed to making Oklahoma in the top 10 states for business. Making our business taxes among the lowest in the country is another tool that will help us continue to attract and retain businesses," said the Governor, the Republican Kevin Stitt, after signing the bills.
In New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Luján Grisham and the Democratic-led Legislative Assembly added
a new 2.75% surcharge on health insurance premiums.
The tax increase will be used in large part to underwrite health exchange insurance deals for low- and moderate-income individuals, along with small business employees, beginning in 2023.
Police reform
Motivated by the murder of George Floyd and other black people killed by police, several states passed new criminal justice laws in 2021, the first full year of state legislative sessions after their deaths.
An Illinois law standardizes the certification of police officers by the Illinois Law Enforcement Standards and Training Board and allows officers to be expelled for repeated erroneous or unethical behavior, rather than only when convicted. for a crime.
In North Carolina,
law enforcement recruits must now undergo psychological tests by a licensed psychologist
to determine their suitability for the job before they can serve as an agent or assistant.
The previous mandate did not apply to everyone.
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In Oregon, a new law requires a police officer who witnesses another officer's misconduct or a violation of the state's minimum standards of moral fitness to report it to a supervisor within 72 hours.
The law enforcement agency must conduct an investigation within three months and inform the State of findings of misconduct that exceed minor offenses.
Physical discrimination
New laws are in effect in both Illinois and Oregon that prohibit
discrimination based on physical characteristics, such as hairstyle.
In Oregon, the bill unofficially known as
the Crown Law will
prohibit discrimination based on "physical characteristics historically associated with race," including hairstyles such as braids, locks and curls.
[Racism and discrimination impair the mental health of young adults]
In Illinois, the legislation is known as the Jett Hawkins Act, after Gus Hawkins, a black student who at age 4 was told to remove his braids because the hairstyle violated the dress code at his Chicago school.
His mother, Ida Nelson, started an awareness campaign after the incident.
He said that stigmatizing children's hair can negatively affect their educational development.
He called it "monumental" when the law was signed last summer by the governor, Democrat JB Pritzker.
Changes in the Drug Law
Recreational marijuana will be legal in Montana.
State voters approved the change in an initiative in November 2020.
Under the new law, only businesses that had been providing medical marijuana, prior to November 3, 2020, are eligible to grow, manufacture, and sell adult-use marijuana, concentrates, and edibles through June 30, 2023.
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A new Mississippi law removes the requirement for a prescription to buy decongestants containing ephedrine (a natural substance with an effect similar to amphetamines) or pseudoephedrine.
With the new law,
the drug will be available in pharmacies
and pharmacists will have to keep a record of the amount sold to a person.
Like many other states, Mississippi imposed the prescription years ago because law enforcement officials said that drugs containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine were used as an ingredient in crystalline methamphetamine.
Some consumers complained that over-the-counter decongestants weren't strong enough.
Animal welfare
This Saturday, California will have the strictest living space standards in the country for farmed pigs.
Industry lawsuits failed to block the measure that is the result of a failed 2018 ballot initiative, but grocery store and restaurant owners
are now suing to force a 28-month delay.
Critics, including some lawmakers from both parties, have called for the application to be postponed until 2024, fearing prices will rise and jobs will be lost.
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California allows it to continue to sell pork processed according to the previous rules, which, according to its proponents, should alleviate any shortages and price rises.
Maryland will join several states with a new law that will
prohibit the sale of any new cosmetic product
if it contains ingredients that have been tested on animals.
[On video: These animals enjoy the snow amid the chaos of the winter season]
In Vermont, a new law prohibits the trade in parts or products of a number of exotic animals, such as elephants, giraffes, sea turtles, endangered sharks, whales and certain primates.
The law includes exemptions for police, educational or scientific uses.
It also allows the trade in antiques that contain small amounts of the animal product
or are a fixed component of a firearm
(a knife or a small legally acquired musical instrument, for example).
