CNN
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January 1st not only ushered in 2025, but also a number of new laws.
In 2024, states tackled a wide range of issues, from abortion rights to gender-affirming care for minors, and put legislation in place for implementation the following year. Starting Wednesday, Americans will also see minimum wage increases in about two dozen states, while seniors covered by Medicare may see lower out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs.
Below are some of the new laws currently in effect.
Minimum wages have increased in 21 states, according to the National Employment Law Project.
Hikes were conducted in the following states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Virginia. states and Washington state.
With this increase, Washington State’s minimum wage continues to be the highest of all states at $16.66, an increase of 38 cents. Delaware will be the most expensive, from $13.25 to $15.
Meanwhile, Minnesota is moving to standardize its minimum wage. The state has set a minimum wage of $10.85 for large employers, and for small employers, employees under 18, and employees in the U.S. on J-1 visas for exchange visitors and international students. It set a minimum wage of $8.85. To conduct academic training and research. In this group, the state’s new minimum wage will be $11.13 for all employers, making it the nation’s largest minimum wage increase of $2.28.
Washington, D.C., maintains the highest minimum wage in the country at $17.05, even after a 45-cent increase in July.
New Hampshire currently has a ban on gender reassignment surgeries for minors, but these surgeries are rarely performed on children.
HB 619, signed by Republican Gov. Chris Sununu in July, would allow minors who have undergone such surgeries and their parents to file charges against the health care provider who performed the procedure or anyone within two years after the procedure. However, it is permitted to file a lawsuit. Who “aided or abetted” the process?
New York expands abortion protections
The New York State Constitution was amended to reflect the abortion protections approved by voters on Election Day.
The state constitution’s Equal Protection Clause currently states that a person’s rights cannot be denied because of “pregnancy, the consequences of pregnancy, reproductive health care and autonomy.”
The constitutional amendment does not change the state of abortion in the state, which remains legal up to the survival period (approximately 22 to 24 weeks after conception).
Provisions of the Inflation Control Act, Biden’s sweeping health care, tax and climate bill passed in 2022, expand tax credits for clean electricity now that it takes effect.
Tax credits to help businesses produce and invest in clean energy have been extended to all facilities and energy storage systems that can produce energy without producing global warming pollution. This tax credit applies to all types of energy that do not include greenhouse gases, including wind, solar, hydro, energy storage, geothermal, and tidal power.
People on Medicare will now pay up to $2,000 a year in out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs as part of another provision of the Inflation Control Act.
This limit applies to prescription drugs purchased at pharmacies or mail order and covered by Medicare Part D.
Before the Inflation Control Act was passed, there were no limits on the out-of-pocket costs for drugs for Medicare enrollees.
CNN’s Tami Luhby and Ella Nilsen contributed to this report.
