From the tollroads of New Jersey to classrooms in California, scores of new laws take effect in 2012 that will raise costs for travelers and create regulations on abortion, voting, hiring, education and a range of other activities.
Some 40,000 laws were passed by legislatures meeting in all 50 states during 2011, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and many have a start date of Jan. 1, 2012.
In New Jersey, a toll increase enacted in 2008 takes effect Sunday, and travelers using the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike will feel it in their wallets. For example, driving a car the full length of the turnpike, from the Delaware Memorial Bridge north to the George Washington Bridge, will rise from $9.05 to $13.85.
California, as usual, is implementing a wide range of new legal requirements.
One adds lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and disabled people, to a list of cultural groups whose contributions to the development of the United States must be portrayed in social science course material in public schools. The law bans teaching materials that reflect poorly on gays or particular religions. Already, opponents have begun seeking a ballot initiative to repeal the law.
Under some of California's other new laws:
•School sports teams must bench an athlete suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury until cleared by a health care provider.
•Production, distribution and sale of beer to which caffeine has been added is prohibited.
•Sale, trade or distribution of shark fins, popular in Chinese cooking, is prohibited in most cases. Oregon has a similar new law.
Several states have enacted requirements that some businesses use the federal E-Verify program to determine whether new workers are eligible under immigration laws.
Alabama adds a requirement that employers who do business with the government use E-Verify for new workers. Other states adopting E-Verify requirements include Louisiana, Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia.
Countering the trend, California will prohibit local governments from requiring a private employer to use E-Verify.
New laws requiring voters to present photo identification will go into effect in Kansas, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Texas, the legislatures conference said. Supporters of the law say it prevents fraud; opponents say it will make it harder for minorities and seniors to cast ballots.
New abortion rules also go into effect. In New Hampshire, a law will require girls seeking abortions to tell their parents or a judge. In Arkansas, clinics that perform 10 or more non-surgical abortions a month must be licensed by the state and be subject to inspections.
Some 40,000 laws were passed by legislatures meeting in all 50 states during 2011, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and many have a start date of Jan. 1, 2012.
In New Jersey, a toll increase enacted in 2008 takes effect Sunday, and travelers using the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike will feel it in their wallets. For example, driving a car the full length of the turnpike, from the Delaware Memorial Bridge north to the George Washington Bridge, will rise from $9.05 to $13.85.
California, as usual, is implementing a wide range of new legal requirements.
One adds lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and disabled people, to a list of cultural groups whose contributions to the development of the United States must be portrayed in social science course material in public schools. The law bans teaching materials that reflect poorly on gays or particular religions. Already, opponents have begun seeking a ballot initiative to repeal the law.
Under some of California's other new laws:
•School sports teams must bench an athlete suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury until cleared by a health care provider.
•Production, distribution and sale of beer to which caffeine has been added is prohibited.
•Sale, trade or distribution of shark fins, popular in Chinese cooking, is prohibited in most cases. Oregon has a similar new law.
Several states have enacted requirements that some businesses use the federal E-Verify program to determine whether new workers are eligible under immigration laws.
Alabama adds a requirement that employers who do business with the government use E-Verify for new workers. Other states adopting E-Verify requirements include Louisiana, Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia.
Countering the trend, California will prohibit local governments from requiring a private employer to use E-Verify.
New laws requiring voters to present photo identification will go into effect in Kansas, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Texas, the legislatures conference said. Supporters of the law say it prevents fraud; opponents say it will make it harder for minorities and seniors to cast ballots.
New abortion rules also go into effect. In New Hampshire, a law will require girls seeking abortions to tell their parents or a judge. In Arkansas, clinics that perform 10 or more non-surgical abortions a month must be licensed by the state and be subject to inspections.