New 2025 laws hit hot topics from AI in movies to rapid-fire guns

Artificial intelligence. Abortion. Guns. Marijuana. Minimum wages.

Mention a hot topic and chances are there will be a new law in some state that will take effect in 2025.

Many of the laws coming into effect in January are the result of legislation passed this year. Others result from ballot measures approved by voters. Some face legal problems.

Here’s a look at some of the most notable state laws taking effect:

California, home to Hollywood and some of the biggest tech companies, is trying to do just that to rein in the artificial intelligence industry and place some parameters around social media stars. New laws seek to prevent the use of digital replicas of Hollywood actors and artists without permission and allow the estates of dead artists to sue over unauthorized AI use.

Parents who profit from social media posts featuring their children will have to set aside a portion of the revenue for their young influencers. A new law also makes it possible for children to sue their parents if they do not do this.

New restrictions on social media in several states are facing legal challenges.

A Florida law prohibits children under the age of 14 of having social media accounts and requires parental consent for ages 14 and 15. But enforcement is being delayed due to a lawsuit filed by two online business associations, with a hearing scheduled for the end of February.

Also a new Tennessee law 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 are envisioned combating political deepfakes are also being challenged, including one that requires major social media platforms to remove misleading content related to elections and another that allows anyone to sue for damages over its use of AI to fabricated images or videos in political advertisements.

For the first time nationally, California will begin enforcing a law that prohibits 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 stop such policies from several districts.

Many states have passed laws restricting or protecting abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a nationwide right to the procedure in 2022. One of the most recent is the Democratic-led state of Delaware. A law there requires the state’s employee health plan and Medicaid plans for lower-income residents to cover abortions without a deductiblecopayments or other cost-sharing requirements.

A new law in Minnesota bans guns with “binary triggers” that allow faster firing, 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 banned, with exceptions for those working in their official capacities, such as law enforcement and security guards.

Kentucky becomes the latest state for people to take advantage marijuana for medical purposes. To apply for a state medical cannabis card, people must obtain a written statement from a medical provider for a qualifying condition, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea or post-traumatic stress disorder. Nearly four-fifths of US states have now legalized medical marijuana.

Minimum wage workers in more than 20 states will receive a raise in January. The highest minimum wages will be in Washington, California and Connecticut, all of which will exceed $16 an hour after modest increases.

The largest increases are planned in Delaware, where the minimum wage will increase by $1.75 to $15 per hour, and in Nebraska, where a ballot measure approved by voters in 2022, $1.50 will be added to the current minimum of $12 per hour.

Twenty other states still follow the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

In Oregon, drug use on public transportation will be considered a public transportation disruption offense. As the measure made its way through the Legislature, multiple transportation officials said drug use on buses and trains, and at transit stops and stations, made passengers and drivers feel less safe.

In Missouri, law enforcement officials have been warning motorists for the past 16 months that cell phone use is illegal. Starting in the new year, penalties will include a $150 fine for the first offense, increasing to $500 for third and subsequent offenses, and up to 15 years in prison if a driver using a cell phone causes injury or death. But police must notice a primary violation, such as speeding or weaving across lanes, to cite motorists for violating the cell phone law.

Montana is the only state that hasn’t done so ban on texting while drivingthe National Conference of State Legislatures said.

Renters in Arizona no longer have to pay tax on their monthly rentthanks to the repeal of a law that had allowed cities and towns to levy such taxes. While a win for tenants, the new law is a financial loss for governments. An analysis by Arizona’s nonpartisan Joint Legislative Budget Committee estimated that $230 million in municipal tax revenue would be lost during the first full fiscal year of implementation.

Meanwhile, Alabama will offer tax breaks to companies that help employees with childcare costs.

Kansas is eliminating the 2% sales tax on groceries. It is lowering individual income taxes by, among other things, dropping the top tax rate, increasing a credit for childcare expenses and exempting all social security income from taxes. It is expected to save taxpayers approximately $320 million per year in the future.

An Oklahoma law extends voting rights to people who have been convicted of crimes but have had their sentences pardoned or commuted, including commutations for crimes that have been reclassified from felonies to misdemeanors. Former Sen. George Young, a Democrat from Oklahoma City, carried the bill in the Senate.

“I think it’s really important that people who have gone through trials and tribulations in their lives have a system that brings them back and allows them to participate as contributing citizens,” Young said.

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Associated Press writers Trân Nguyễn in Sacramento, California; Kate Payne in Tallahassee, Florida; Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tenn.; Randall Chase in Dover, Delaware; Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; Bruce Schreiner in Frankfort, Kentucky; Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon; Summer Ballentine in Jefferson City, Missouri; Gabriel Sandoval in Phoenix; Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas; and Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed.