You may be thinking about new resolutions and new beginnings for your personal life right now, but there are also a lot of new laws taking effect in 2014.
Obamacare
For 2014, a fee will be enforced for adults without health insurance. The fee is either $95 per adult or 1% of family income, whichever results in a larger fine. The Affordable Care Act also requires that insurers cover immunizations and some preventive care.
Recreational Pot
In November 2012, both Colorado and Washington approved legislation legalizing recreational purchase and use of marijuana.
More than a year later, Colorado opened its first recreational pot stores on January 1, 2014. Only those 21 and older may purchase legal weed. Washington state, meanwhile, is still in the process of getting its first recreational pot retailers, approved. Stores are expected to be up and running in a few months.
Minimum Wage
Several states hiked the minimum wage for 2014. They include Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. The highest, though, will be in California, which upped the base wage to $9 an hour — this will take effect in July of next year.
Placentas
In May, a measure was approved allowing birthing mothers in Oregon to take the placenta home. Hospitals previously barred mothers from taking the placenta home, citing hazardous medical waste concerns. Advocates argued that families wanted to take them home for cultural or religious reasons — while in some circles, it is thought that consuming the placenta can have health benefits.
Tanning Beds
In Illinois and Oregon, minors will no longer be allowed to enter tanning salons. Several states have done the same, as part of a growing trend of regulating tanning facilities to help reduce skin cancer risk.
Mug Shots
Good news for people worried about their mug shots. Illinois has made it illegal for websites to post mug shots and then ask for money to take them down. And in Oregon, such websites will have to remove mug shots for free if the person in question was acquitted or had the charges dropped.
Drones and Internet Tracking
In Illinois, growing concern about increasing government surveillance resulted in passing a law barring law enforcement from using surveillance drones without a warrant. Even with a warrant, drones are only allowed for specific purposes, like countering a terror attack.
Also in the name of paranoia, this year California will become the first state requiring websites to tell users how they track, and share, personal information.
Same-Sex Marriage
Although it’s the result of court action rather than new legislation, just before the New Year, two more states — Utah and New Mexico — became the 17th and 18th states to allow same-sex marriage, although such marriages have been halted in Utah for the time being. In June 2014, Illinois’ same-sex marriage law will go into effect. Meanwhile, 32 states’ laws still prohibit same-sex marriages.
1 comment
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