A new fiscal year means newly enacted laws will take effect Saturday in many states across the country.
Statutes range from banning marriage licenses for children in Connecticut to legalizing shooting stars in Indiana.
Here are descriptions of some of the laws that go into effect in various states.
Floridians can carry guns without a permit
Florida residents will will no longer be necessary to obtain a state-issued permit to carry a concealed weapon, under a law that was quietly signed into law in April by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a 2024 presidential candidate.
Florida became the 26th state to pass some form of permitless carry legislation.
California eases demand from firearms industry
A bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democrat, will make it easier for residents, local governments and the state attorney general to sue firearms retailers in civil courts.
Additionally, firearms dealers in California will be required to establish a protocol aimed at curbing the sale of guns to dealers, people prohibited from possessing firearms under state or federal law, and people who are considered a risk for themselves or for others.
Kansas imposes restrictions on transgender people
a new one law in Kansas prohibits transgender people from using restrooms, locker rooms, domestic violence shelters, and rape crisis centers that are consistent with their gender identities. The statute holds that “gender distinctions” are considered “substantially related” to government goals of ensuring health, safety, and privacy in these spaces.
The Republican-controlled Legislature in April overrode Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of the measure.
Georgia blocks most gender-affirming treatments
A bill signed by Gov. Brian Kemp in March bans most gender-affirmation procedures and hormone replacement therapy for transgender people under 18. The new law, however, does not prevent doctors from prescribing puberty blockers and allows minors who started hormone therapy earlier. July 1 to continue.
Georgia is one of several Republican-led states that have restricted access to gender-affirming care, and Texas is the most populous state to ban care for gender-affirming minors.
Florida bans classroom teaching about STIs and periods before sixth grade
The new law bans teaching about menstruation, human sexuality and sexually transmitted infections in public schools before the sixth grade.
It comes after a measure known as the Don’t Say Gay bill, which bans classroom teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity, was expanded to include all grades in public schools.
Almost total ban on no-cook orders in Minnesota
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed it into law in May almost total ban with no-touch orders after the high-profile shooting of Amir Locke by a SWAT team officer during a raid with a “no-touch” warrant in Minneapolis last year.
Exceptions to the prohibition will only be allowed if the search cannot be conducted while the premises are unoccupied, or if the occupants pose an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm to the officers executing the warrant or others.
Virginia classifies fentanyl as a ‘weapon of terrorism’
As of Saturday, fentanyl will officially be “a weapon of terrorism” in Virginia. The new law also toughens penalties for manufacturers or distributors of drugs that include fentanyl.
During his State of the Union address this year, President Joe Biden called for “strong sanctions” to crack down on fentanyl trafficking, while Republicans have argued that their border policies are largely responsible for the amount of fentanyl in the US.
Marriage licenses for children are prohibited in Connecticut
a measure signed The law last month blocks minors from obtaining a marriage license in Connecticut.
The new law reverses a 2017 statute that allowed a probate judge to issue marriage licenses to 16- and 17-year-olds with the written consent of a parent or guardian.
Indiana repeals ban on throwing stars
under a new lawshooting stars are now legal in Indiana except on school property.
The statute defines throwing stars as “a throwing knife, throwing iron, or other knife-like weapon with blades set at different angles.”
Tougher data privacy laws in Colorado and Connecticut
Both states are enacting consumer privacy laws that are expected to give residents more control over their personal data.
The new laws require companies to obtain consent before storing, sharing or selling certain personal data. They also assert the rights of residents to ask companies to delete their personal information, to seek copies of data collected about them and to block the sale of their personal data.
Democratic Gov. Jared Polis in 2021 signed a invoice establishing the Colorado Privacy Act, with the final rules published in March. Gov. Ned Lamont, also a Democrat, signed on The Connecticut version last year.
Porn sites required to verify user age in Virginia
Porn sites operating in Virginia will have to take “reasonable steps” to verify that their users are at least 18 years old.
the new law follows the enactment of statutes similar to Arkansas, mississippi i Utah in recent months.
Mississippi collects the blueberry as its state fruit
mississippi is formally designating the blueberry as state fruit.
The move came after a group of elementary school students “led the way on this issue and rallied the legislature to their cause,” Gov. Tate Reeves. he tweeted upon signing the law in March.
Henry Priesmeyer of Horn Lake, Miss., looks at plants during his annual trip to Nesbit Blueberry Plantation in Nesbit, Miss., in 2012.Stan Carroll / The Commercial Appeal/AP file
Schoolbooks featuring sex acts are now banned in Iowa
Iowa schools to remove from library shelves any text detailing “sexual acts” under a invoice which also prohibits teaching related to gender identity and sexual orientation in public and charter schools through sixth grade.
The measure was signed by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds in May. The legislation also lifts the requirement that schools include information about HPV and AIDS in the health curriculum.
The law follows numerous book bans in Republican-led states under the banner of parents’ rights that largely focus on LGBTQ-themed texts and books that highlight issues of race and racism.
Restrictions on certain race and gender issues in Tennessee
A new law identifies certain topics related to racism, sexism and how race and gender might play a role in maintaining privilege or oppression as “divisive concepts” that are subject to restrictions.
The law prohibits institutions from providing mandatory training or using training materials with students or employees that include these concepts. It also prohibits public institutions of higher education from requiring prospective students or employees to “submit a personal diversity statement” or to agree to an “institutional diversity statement” upon application.
