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