One of the new laws taking effect with the new year will affect Alabama families. Hollywood actors, social media stars, and chatty motorists will see change as well. In many states, minimum wage workers will see a pay raise in January. New laws in California will provide protections to actors against unauthorized use of artificial intelligence and require parents to set aside social media earnings generated by children. And in Alabama, businesses that help workers with the cost of child care will get a tax break.
Supporters of Alabama’s new child care credit said that child care costs are a barrier for many parents considering returning to the workforce. House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels said the goal is to help families afford childcare and to help businesses that are struggling to find workers.
“It gets workers back into the workforce,” said Republican Senator Garlan Gudger of Cullman during the Senate debate.
The bill would set aside $15 million in tax credits that could be claimed by companies that provide childcare stipends, on-site day care or reserved spots at licensed facilities. The tax credit program would begin in 2025 and end on December 31, 2027. After evaluating the cost and effectiveness of the program, lawmakers could choose to extend the tax credit.
The proposal also would provide tax credits and grants to providers, with incentives aimed at expanding the availability of care and improving quality.
The legislation would provide up to $25,000 in yearly tax credits to childcare providers who participate in the Department of Human Resources’ Quality Rating Improvement System, which provides ratings to programs that meet defined program standards. That part of the program would cost up to $5 million per year. It would also provide $5 million in grants that nonprofit providers, including church facilities, could seek to help improve quality or expand capacity.
Elsewhere around the country, in Florida and Tennessee, new laws restricting social media use by minors face legal challenges. In Missouri, drivers holding their cellphones could face new fines. Other new laws will restrict certain guns in Minnesota, allow medical marijuana in Kentucky and outlaw drug use on public transit in Oregon.
Artificial intelligence. Abortion. Guns. Marijuana. Minimum wages.
Name a hot topic, and chances are good there's a new law about it taking effect in 2025 in one state or another.
Here's a look at some of the most notable state laws taking effect in 2025.
Hollywood stars and child influencers --
California, home to Hollywood and some of the largest technology companies, is seeking to rein in the artificial intelligence industry and put some parameters around social media stars. New laws seek to prevent the use of digital replicas of Hollywood actors and performers without permission and allow the estates of dead performers to sue over unauthorized AI use.
Parents who profit from social media posts featuring their children will be required to set aside some earnings for their young influencers. A new law also allows children to sue their parents for failing to do so.
Social media limits --
New social media restrictions in several states face court challenges.
A Florida law bans children under 14 from having social media accounts and requires parental consent for ages 14 and 15. But enforcement is being delayed because of a lawsuit filed by two associations for online companies, with a hearing scheduled for late February.
A new Tennessee law also requires parental consent for minors to open accounts on social media. NetChoice, an industry group for online businesses, is challenging the law. Another new state law requires porn websites to verify that visitors are at least 18 years old. But the Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the adult entertainment industry, has filed a challenge.
Several new California measures aimed at combating political deepfakes are also being challenged, including one requiring large social media platforms to remove deceptive content related to elections and another allowing any individual to sue for damages over the use of AI to create fabricated images or videos in political ads.
School rules on gender --
In a first nationally, California will start enforcing a law prohibiting school districts from adopting policies that require staff to notify parents if their children change their gender identification. The law was a priority for Democratic lawmakers who wanted to halt such policies passed by several districts.
Abortion coverage --
Many states have passed laws limiting or protecting abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a nationwide right to the procedure in 2022. One of the latest is the Democratic-led state of Delaware. A law there will require the state employee health plan and Medicaid plans for lower-income residents to cover abortions with no deductible, copayments or other cost-sharing requirements.
Gun control --
A new Minnesota law prohibits guns with "binary triggers" that allow for more rapid fire, causing a weapon to fire one round when the trigger is pulled and another when it is released.
In Delaware, a law adds colleges and universities to a list of school zones where guns are prohibited, with exceptions for those working in their official capacity such as law officers and commissioned security guards.
Medical marijuana --
Kentucky is becoming the latest state to let people use marijuana for medical purposes. To apply for a state medical cannabis card, people must get written certification from a medical provider of a qualifying condition, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea or post-traumatic stress disorder. Nearly four-fifths of U.S. states have now legalized medical marijuana.
Minimum wages --
Minimum wage workers in more than 20 states are due to receive raises in January. The highest minimum wages will be in Washington, California and Connecticut, all of which will top $16 an hour after modest increases.
The largest increases are scheduled in Delaware, where the minimum wage will rise by $1.75 to $15 an hour, and in Nebraska, where a ballot measure approved by voters in 2022 will add $1.50 to the current minimum of $12 an hour.
Twenty other states still follow the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
Voting rights --
An Oklahoma law expands voting privileges to people who have been convicted of felonies but had their sentences discharged or commuted, including commutations for crimes that have been reclassified from felonies to misdemeanors. Former state Sen. George Young, an Oklahoma City Democrat, carried the bill in the Senate.
"I think it's very important that people who have gone through trials and tribulations in their life, that we have a system that brings them back and allows them to participate as contributing citizens," Young said.
