Weed, Wages and Waste: 2021's Hottest New Legislation

Customers buy products at the Harvest Medical Marijuana Dispensary in San Francisco, April 20, 2016 [Haven Daley/AP]

A number of progressive new measures went into effect this month, showing there is wide support for policies such as the legalization of recreational marijuana, paid family leave, affordable health care and more.

California has enacted legislation that:

Mandates workplaces notify all employees of COVID-19 exposure within one business day
Requires that companies with over 100 employees provide data on pay rates regarding race, ethnicity and gender to the state’s employment department
Bars companies from retaliating against employees for taking time off as a result of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking
Allows formerly incarcerated people with nonviolent records to expunge their records so they can use their firefighting training toward employment
Bans police from wearing uniforms with camouflage patterns or that resemble military apparel
Allows people convicted of felonies to vote after completing their sentences
Prevents schoolchildren from being referred to probation programs

Colorado has enacted legislation that:

Prohibits pay discrimination on the basis of sex and gender identity, and prohibits employers from asking about a job applicant’s previous salary or from barring employees from talking about their pay rates
Prohibits landlords from asking about a potential tenant’s citizenship status

Connecticut has enacted:

Payroll deductions to fund paid family and medical leave for some workers, which will begin in 2022
Requirements for police who work with the public on a daily basis to display their badge and name tag prominently

Delaware has banned single-use plastic bags, requiring retailers to carry reusable bags, and raised electrical rebates for solar-powered homes to $0.70 per watt, with a maximum annual rebate of $6,000.

Georgia has enacted legislation that:

Lets certain individuals petition to restrict and seal certain criminal records, and prohibits employers from using an employee’s criminal history against them in a conflict with the employer
Limits the amount that a worker’s paycheck can be garnished for student loan payments
Provides some consumer protections regarding surprise billing

Illinois has enacted legislation to:

Start a $50 college savings account for every child born or adopted in the state
Cap insulin copay costs at $100 per month

Kansas has legalized the production of commercial hemp.

Massachusetts has enacted legislation to:

Require that companies provide employees with paid family and medical leave funded by payroll taxes
Expand abortion access beyond 24 weeks in certain cases and lower the minimum age to obtain abortion without parental consent to 16

Montana and New Jersey have legalized the use of recreational cannabis.

New Jersey is also retiring the racist term “freeholder,” used to refer to county employees who oversee finances.

Oregon has prohibited the use of facial recognition technology in public places.

Utah has capped monthly copays for insulin at $30.

Washington has banned single-use plastic bags, though the law goes into effect later this month. The state also capped insulin copays at $100 a month.

Twenty states are raising their minimum wage this year. California’s is the highest for employers with 26 workers or more at $14 per hour.

California, Delaware, Iowa, New York, Oregon and Utah are also among states that have banned police from using chokeholds – though previous bans on the move haven’t stopped police from using them.