Six new state laws from rideshare driver rights to screen time limits : NPR

Here at NPR, we like to ring in the new year by looking at new state laws taking effect on Jan. 1.

This year, states are enacting a slew of laws focused on wages, social media rules, restrictions on gender-affirming care, AI regulation and much more.

Here is a sampling of some of those changes, as reported by public media journalists across the country.

California rideshare drivers can unionize

Under a new law, California’s 800,000 rideshare drivers have the right to unionize starting on Jan. 1. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom brokered the deal between organized labor and major rideshare companies, including Uber and Lyft.

The rideshare giants supported the expansion of collective bargaining rights to their drivers in exchange for lawmakers agreeing to slash the companies’ insurance costs for underinsured drivers.

After Massachusetts voters decided to do so in 2024, California became the second state to extend collective bargaining rights to rideshare drivers.

– Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio

More paid time off in Colorado for parents of babies in the NICU

Colorado families whose babies spend time in the NICU will be able to take more paid leave this year. Colorado’s paid family leave program already allows workers to take up to 12 weeks off from work to care for a new baby, or for a serious family health or personal issue, and receive most of their pay during that time.

Now, families whose babies require time in neonatal intensive care can apply for an additional 12 weeks of paid leave. Backers say this acknowledges the extra strain families are under when caring for preemies and other newborns with significant health problems.

Democratic State Sen. Jeff Bridges was one of the main sponsors and says he was inspired by his own personal experience. His newborn was in intensive care, which he says was “terrifying and consuming.”

Democrats passed the bill, mostly along party lines. Opponents say they worry about increased costs to businesses and workers who pay into the program.

Illinois also has a new NICU law going into effect in June, but unlike Colorado, the time off is not required to be paid.

– Bente Birkeland, Colorado Public Radio

Social media time limits in Virginia 

A new law in Virginia, which faces a legal challenge, is designed to limit social media use by those under 16 to one hour a day, unless a parent agrees to a longer period. NetChoice, a group representing social media services, claims the law violates the First Amendment. The law’s author, Democratic State Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, argues it’s a “reasonable attempt to balance free speech with the safety and privacy of our children.”

In legal filings, attorneys for NetChoice call the law the “latest attempt in a long line of government efforts to restrict new forms of constitutionally protected expression based on concerns about their potential effects on minors.” A preliminary injunction hearing is set for mid-January.

– Brad Kutner, WVTF

Eighteen states restrict SNAP money for candy, sodas 

With permission from the Trump administration, 18 states will ban the purchase of candy, sodas, energy drinks or other items using federal dollars intended for low-income households.

The states, which include South Carolina, Florida, Hawaii, and Texas, received waivers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2025 that will allow them to restrict Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program dollars for items the states deem non-nutritious.

Citing adult and child obesity statistics, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said in December that the waiver will help create healthier outcomes and said the goal aligns with President Trump’s push to restore SNAP to its “true purpose – nutrition.”

South Carolina will ban the purchase of candy, energy drinks, soft drinks, and other sweetened beverages using SNAP dollars.

Other states have narrower limits. Texas will prohibit SNAP funds for sweetened drinks and candy, and Virginia plans to bar SNAP dollars for certain “sweetened beverages.” All 18 states have a target implementation date of sometime this year.

Among other things, critics of the waivers say they are skeptical the bans will improve people’s health.

– Maayan Schechter, South Carolina Public Radio

Paid leave up to 20 weeks in Minnesota

Beginning this week, most Minnesota workers will have access to paid family and medical leave benefits. The state is launching a program that allows 12 weeks of paid family leave to care for a sick loved one or bond with a baby, as well as 12 weeks of medical leave to recover from illness or injury.

There’s a cap of 20 weeks in a year if someone taps both. Those who take paid leave will receive partial pay and will have a guarantee that their position at work will be there when they return. Employers are also barred from retaliating against workers who take the paid time off.

The program is funded through a payroll tax split between employers and employees.

Some business groups tried to block the legislation, saying that if employees take significant time off, it could put more work on others.

Roughly three-quarters of Minnesota workers are expected to receive more paid leave benefits under the program than they had previously. Minnesota will be among 13 states to offer paid family and medical leave benefits.

– Dana Ferguson, Minnesota Public Radio

Illinois regulates AI, despite Trump’s executive order

Starting this year, employers in Illinois are prohibited from using artificial intelligence in employment decisions – from making new hires to promoting or disciplining current employees – if the technology factors in demographic information, such as the person’s race or ZIP code.

It’s an amendment to the state’s Human Rights Act and was passed by the legislature’s Democratic supermajority. Democratic State Sen. Javier Cervantes sponsored the measure. As an artist, Cervantes says he has real concerns about how rapidly AI has progressed over the past few years.

“This is an unchecked technology,” Cervantes says. “We just have to get in front of it and do the best we can.”

The new law comes on the heels of President Trump’s executive order directing the U.S. Department of Justice to challenge states’ AI laws deemed “cumbersome.” Cervantes says he’s pretty certain the DOJ will take the state to court – as it has done in more than thirty suits so far – over the new law.

– Mawa Iqbal, WBEZ