A new wave of laws from coast to coast will go into effect on Aug. 1, covering everything from cellphone bans in classrooms to increased penalties for the retail sale of nitrous oxide to heightened checks on people who want to open a strip club.
In Louisiana, it will become illegal on Friday to bet on elections, while in North Dakota, pornography sites will be required to verify the age of a person logging in before gaining access to sexually explicit content. In Minnesota, garbage trucks were given the green light to go from 30 mph to 35 mph, and new housing protections were granted to people with service animals in training.
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Washington state had 333 new laws that went into effect on July 27, 90 days after the legislative session ended in Olympia. They cover everything from the controversial bill passed that requires religious leaders to report child abuse or neglect to medical debt appearing on credit reports and police funding.
Here is a look at a few of the laws set to take effect on Aug. 1.
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Louisiana
Nitrous oxide
This new law cracks down on the selling of nitrous oxide, commonly referred to as “laughing gas” or “whippets,” and builds on a previous statewide ban on recreational use.
It prohibits the sale of all flavored nitrous oxide and raises the fine for illegal sales from $2,500 to $25,000. It also increases the minimum age for possession and use of nitrous oxide to 21 years and gives the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control the authority to revoke licenses on a second offense.
“We will find you. We will fine you. We will arrest you if that’s appropriate,” ATC Commissioner Ernest Legier said.
The ATC recently conducted a four-week investigation called “Operation Vape Out” that led to raids of six vape shops. Agents seized 6,500 canisters of nitrous oxide and arrested 10 people.
“Having 700, 800, one thousand of these canisters at a vape shop — it seems logical that it would be for illegal use,” Legier said.
Whippets are popular inhalant drugs. They get their name from whipped-cream aerosol canisters that users open to inhale the gas inside. Nitrous oxide cuts off oxygen to the brain and creates an euphoric state that lowers physical pain. Nitrous oxide is often used in medical and dental procedures.
Hands-free driving
Drivers across the state will face new restrictions on phone use while driving.
HB519, which was signed by the governor on June 11, bans most cellphone use while operating a motor vehicle.
The new law makes it illegal to access, read, view, compose, browse, transmit, save, or retrieve electronic data from any phone app unless it’s for voice calls or navigation. Those caught in violation will face a fine between $100 and up to $250 if the offense occurs in a school or highway construction zone.
Lawmakers tried to pass similar laws for years but failed partly due to concerns that law enforcement officers might use the ban as an excuse to perform traffic stops or search cars. That issue was put to rest after lawmakers added a provision that would prevent police officers from conducting searches or stops based solely on cellphone use.
Although the law goes into effect Friday, the state announced a grace period during which no fines will be issued and drivers will receive a warning. Enforcement goes into full effect in January.
Slow drivers
Drivers in Louisiana who are in the left lane and going 1 mph under the speed limit could be issued a ticket. The new law updates a previous rule that applies to drivers going 10 mph under the speed limit in the left lane of multilane highways.
Democratic state Sen. Jay Luneau, who wrote the legislation, defended it on social media.
“The left lane is meant for faster-moving traffic, but too often, slow drivers create dangerous situations and delays,” he posted on X. “Law enforcement told us the old law was hard to enforce. SB11 gives them the tools to better address this issue.”
First-time offenders will receive a $150 fine. The penalty increases to $250 for the second offense and $350 plus possible jail time for the third offense.
Frogging with guns
One of Louisiana’s most popular pastimes is frogging, which refers to catching bullfrogs, mostly at night, using gigging, netting, or by hand. A new law will allow people to carry a gun while frogging at night. Previously, state law banned individuals from carrying shotguns, rifles, or firearms while hunting bullfrogs at night. The weapons won’t likely be used to hunt the actual frogs, but will be used as a means of protection when out at night in the wet marsh.
Education
Four new laws (SB207, SB121, SB126, and SB66) related to education will also go into effect on Friday. One requires all public high school students to have access to vocational and technical courses. Another mandates mental health screenings in school. The third requires mapping data of school facilities to improve emergency responses, and the fourth protects military service members from discrimination in schools.
Minnesota
Drunk drivers
Repeat drunk driving offenders will face new requirements for ignition interlock devices. The IIDs are often called a Breathalyzer for cars and are installed in a vehicle to prevent it from starting if the driver’s alcohol level exceeds a certain limit. Drivers are required to blow an alcohol breath test. The new law expands a “lookback” period for prior offenses to 20 years and widens the law to include criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular operation offenses.
Criminal background checks for strip club owners
A new law allows cities and counties to conduct criminal background checks using a national database for business owners applying for a license to operate a strip club or massage parlor. Previously, cities and counties could only conduct a background check using a statewide database.
Service dogs and housing
Service dog trainers will get new housing protections under House Bill 688. The law ensures people who have a service dog in training are entitled to “full and equal access to all housing accommodations.” There are about 1,000 volunteers in Minnesota who help train service dogs. More want to, according to lawmakers, but are prohibited by their homeowner associations due to restrictions on pets of a certain breed or weight. The new law says trainers cannot be charged extra to have a dog, but are liable for the damage it may cause. There are also checks in place to make sure the trainer is working with an accredited organization.
North Dakota
Cellphone ban
One of the laws enacted during North Dakota’s 69th Legislative Assembly mandates a cellphone ban in all public schools. HB 1160 requires all personal electronic communication devices to be stowed and inaccessible to students from the start of the school day until dismissal at the end of the day.
The bill still allows students to use tablets and other school-issued electronic learning devices. It also carves out exceptions for students who need banned devices as part of an individual education plan. Schools have also been given the flexibility to fine-tune their own policies for school-sponsored events such as dances and sporting events.
Gov. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) called the “bell-to-bell” phone-free policy a “game changer” when he signed it at Centennial Elementary School in Bismarck earlier this year.
“This is a game changer for our public schools, giving students the freedom to focus on learning and to interact with teachers and friends without the constant tug of their cell phones and addictive social media,” Armstrong said. “We appreciate the legislators, education leaders, teachers, parents, students, and other stakeholders who worked incredibly hard to pass this bill in just four weeks, because this can’t wait two more years. We need to act now for the academic success, mental health, and overall well-being of our students.”
Property tax relief
House Bill 1176 more than triples the state’s existing primary residence property tax credit from $500 to $1,600 a year to ease the burden on North Dakota homeowners. Lawmakers indicated they hope to increase the size of the tax credit in the coming years.
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A dedicated stream of earnings from the state’s $12 billion Legacy Fund will pay for the relief, estimated at $409 million in the 2025-2027 biennium. This earnings stream will grow as the Legacy Fund grows, allowing the size of the tax credit to be increased in future sessions, according to the governor’s office.
“It ended up being an unbelievably great and historic package that is going to have real, meaningful results for the citizens of North Dakota, particularly primary residential homeowners,” Armstrong said at a signing ceremony at the state Capitol. “This was an absolute team effort — both chambers, Governor’s Office, both parties, everybody recognized that property tax relief was the No. 1 priority we had to accomplish this legislative session. And I think we came up with a really, really great package.”