By Jacob Gershman
In cities and states across the U.S., the new year brings a
flurry of new laws addressing everything from soda consumption and
sick leave, to semiautomatic weapons and catfish catching. Here are
the highlights:
New Taxes, Higher Taxes
"Soda taxes" are bubbling up. More than a year after Berkeley,
Calif., introduced the nation's first tax on sweetened drinks,
other cities are jumping on the bandwagon.
Philadelphia's 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax on sugary and artificially
sweetened drinks has taken effect. Bay Area voters in San Francisco
and Oakland also approved a penny-per-ounce tax on sugary
beverages, the same rate as Berkeley's. And Boulder, Colo.,
residents, approved the nation's steepest soda levy, at two pennies
an ounce -- or a $1.35 extra -- for a two-liter bottle. Those taxes
are taking effect in coming months.
"They represent a new frontier of tax policy," said Scott
Drenkard, director of state projects for the Tax Foundation, a
think tank that favors lower taxes. Soda taxes, he said, are "very
stark examples of state and local governments using the tax code to
influence nutrition choices, which are by definition very
personal."
Supporters of the taxes say the levies encourage people to drink
healthier beverages while helping to pay for more public services
like education.
It's getting harder for Amazon.com shoppers to avoid paying
local taxes. The company is charging and collecting sales taxes in
four more states: Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska and Utah.
Seven states, including Pennsylvania and Michigan, are raising
their gasoline taxes. The two states both approved increases of
more than 7 cents a gallon.
A new tax in Portland, Ore., targets "excessive" chief-executive
compensation. City lawmakers approved a surtax on public companies
that kicks in when CEOs make 100 times or more than the company's
median worker pay. Portland expects the surtax to raise as much as
$3.5 million a year.
Illinois is no longer imposing sales taxes on feminine hygiene
products such as tampons.
Labor Laws
More jurisdictions will require paid sick leave for employees.
Paid sick-leave laws take effect on Jan. 1 in Vermont; Santa
Monica, Calif.; and Spokane, Wash. Arizona voters also approved a
paid sick-time law, which takes effect in July. The laws in varying
fashion mandate that employers allow workers to accrue earned sick
time that can be used when they're ill or injured, obtaining health
care or taking care of a sick family member.
Other new labor laws include restrictions on criminal-background
checks in hiring. California, for instance, passed a law that makes
an applicant's juvenile criminal history off limits to employers,
who may not inquire about it or consider it when making hiring
decisions. Certain health-care employers, among other exceptions,
are given more screening leeway.
Drugs, Guns and Booze
Growing attention to the nation's opioid epidemic has led to new
laws aimed at helping people break their addiction. A new Florida
insurance law aims to ease access to opioids containing
abuse-deterrent properties that make it harder to crush or dissolve
the drugs. Illinois is requiring judges to allow defendants
assigned to substance-abuse programs to receive prescribed
treatment for opioid abuse.
At the same time, the legalization of marijuana spreads further
this year. Recreational sales will soon become legal in Nevada.
California, Maine and Massachusetts residents last fall also voted
to legalize marijuana, but it could be more than year before
recreational sales are officially permitted in those states.
New firearm laws reflect the country's fierce disagreement about
gun rights.
On the one end, blue state California expanded restrictions on
semiautomatic weapons to encompass a ban on guns equipped with
"bullet buttons," devices allowing magazines to be quickly detached
and replaced.
Tennessee, meanwhile, is now allowing some younger adults to get
a handgun-carry permit, bringing the minimum age down to 18 from
21. Missouri is the latest state to enact a "constitutional carry"
law allowing adults to carry a concealed firearm without a permit.
Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, vetoed the law, but the veto was
overridden.
"We're seeing increasing polarization on guns," said Adam
Winkler, a firearm-policy expert at the University of California,
Los Angeles.
"Everybody thinks there's a stalemate on guns," he said. "There
isn't a lot of movement at the federal level. At the state level,
there's tremendous activity."
A new Ohio law soon to take effect gives employees the right to
store a firearm in a locked vehicle -- or a locked glove
compartment -- parked on company property. And in Pennsylvania,
hunters will be allowed to shoot animals with semiautomatic
rifles.
Other laws cater to beer drinkers. Pennsylvania is "freeing the
six-pack, " allowing beer distributors in the state to sell
six-packs and single cans. Brewers in Tennessee will now be able to
sell beer and cider with much higher alcohol content.
Odds and Ends
Oregon is banning residents from releasing sky lanterns. The
miniature, illuminated hot-air balloons were seen as a fire
hazard.
Illinois is allowing people to catch catfish by stabbing the
creatures with pitchforks, spear guns or arrows, a method
apparently popular in rural areas of the state.
Write to Jacob Gershman at jacob.gershman@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 05, 2017 02:47 ET (07:47 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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