States ring in 2026 with laws on climate, AI, DUI, wages, immigration and more
As we flip the calendar to 2026, hundreds of new laws take effect across the country, targeting everything from climate change and artificial intelligence to drunk driving and the cost of living. State officials say they enacted the new laws to respond to events like the Maui wildfires, policy changes such as mass deportations and phenomena such as youth exposure to artificial intelligence and social media.
Here’s how some of the most significant changes break down:
Climate and tourism: Hawaii’s ‘Green Fee’
Hawaii’s so-called “Green Fee” will raise its Transient Accommodations Tax from 10.25% to 11% and is expected to generate roughly $100 million a year for environmental stewardship, climate resilience and sustainable tourism efforts, according to The Associated Press and The Hill.
Unbiased. Straight Facts.TM
Hawaii is the first state to hike lodging taxes to address climate change and wildfire resilience.
Officials in Hawaii have cited erosion and the deadly 2023 Maui wildfires as examples of the damage they hope to address, those outlets report.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, a Democrat, framed the Green Fee as a climate response.
“As an island chain, Hawaii cannot wait for the next disaster to hit before taking action,” he said. “We must build resiliency now.”
State officials said the additional 0.75% lodging tax will finance projects such as replenishing sand on eroding beaches and removing invasive grasses that have fueled wildfires.
Drunk driving: Utah’s red-striped ‘No Alcohol Sale’ IDs
Utah lawmakers are tightening alcohol rules after years of concern over impaired driving. The Hill reported that DUI charges and alcohol-related crashes and fatalities in Utah all fell between 2022 and 2023, but the state is now allowing courts to block some offenders from buying alcohol and requiring ID checks for every customer at restaurants and bars.
The new law targets people convicted of “extreme driving under the influence,” with a blood or breath alcohol content of 0.16 or higher, more than three times the state’s legal limit. Violators must surrender their driver’s licenses, and any replacement ID will carry a red stripe and the words “No Alcohol Sale.”
State Rep. Steve Eliason, a Republican who sponsored the legislation, said that while the system “isn’t completely bulletproof,” it “just makes it more difficult” for alcohol-restricted people to drink.
Wages and prescription costs: minimum pay hikes and state-branded insulin
Other states are responding to high living costs by raising minimum wages and targeting drug prices.
Washington will become the first state with a statewide minimum wage above $17 an hour. In California, the minimum wage will rise to $16.90, while salaried workers will be guaranteed $70,304 a year. Nebraska’s minimum wage will reach $15 under a voter-approved schedule that also calls for another increase in 2027.
The New York Times reported that more than 20 states will increase their minimum wages in 2026.
California is also getting into the prescription drug business. The Associated Press and PBS NewsHour reported that the state will become the first to sell state-branded insulin under the “CalRx” label at a recommended price of $11 per pen, or a maximum of $55 for a five-pack, after a partnership with the nonprofit Civica.
Regulating artificial intelligence and digital tools
New laws in several states focus on technology and artificial intelligence.
In Texas, the Responsible AI Governance Act will prohibit artificial intelligence systems from producing sexually explicit content or child pornography, obtaining biometric data without consent, or manipulating human behavior to incite or encourage self-harm. A separate Texas law will establish a state AI ethics council and require government agencies to tell consumers when they are interacting with AI.
California and Illinois are also implementing AI restrictions, even though the Trump administration and House Republican leaders have backed a federal preemption of state AI laws. An Illinois measure will limit employers’ use of AI in hiring and other employment decisions.
California is pairing its wage laws and drug-pricing changes with new tech regulations. CalMatters reported that new state laws regulate chatbots’ interactions with minors, ban bots from posing as medical professionals and require police to disclose when they use AI in reports.
Immigration enforcement and family protections
Immigration enforcement has also triggered state-level responses. In response to raids by masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, California passed a law banning law enforcement officers, including federal agents, from covering their faces while on duty. The Trump administration has said federal agents will not follow the mask restrictions and has sued to block enforcement.
Another new California law will allow relatives to assume temporary guardianship of children whose parents are detained or deported. It will also bar day care centers from collecting citizenship or immigration information. A similar law in Illinois will prevent schools from sharing the immigration status of children or their families.
Meanwhile, in Texas, sheriffs operating county jails will be required to cooperate with federal officials in enforcing immigration law. They may receive extra personnel and funding.
Youth, phones and online life
States are also tightening rules around youth and online life. KETV reported that Nebraska’s Age-Appropriate Online Design Code Act will require covered online services to protect the data of users under 18, offer tools to limit certain design features and prohibit appearance-altering filters for children under 13.
The Times said California and Georgia school districts must comply with new limits or bans on student cellphone use by the 2026-27 school year. A new Virginia law will require social media platforms to limit daily use for children under 16 to one hour, although parents will be able to adjust that cap.
Gender-related care and medically assisted death
Meanwhile, states such as New Hampshire and North Carolina are moving ahead with new rules on gender-related care and legal recognition. New Hampshire will prohibit prescribing hormone treatments and puberty blockers to alter a child’s gender and will ban certain surgeries as gender care for minors.
In North Carolina, a new law will officially recognize only two sexes in the state, citing a January 2025 executive order by President Donald Trump.
Three states — New York, Illinois and Delaware — have laws slated or expected to allow medically assisted death for some terminally ill patients in 2026. In each state, the measures would allow patients with a prognosis of fewer than six months to live to end their lives with medical assistance.
The post States ring in 2026 with laws on climate, AI, DUI, wages, immigration and more appeared first on Straight Arrow News.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
