Laws to come into force in 2022: from minimum wage increases to banning most surprise medical bills

As Americans navigated government and private sector mandates around masking and vaccinations, elected leaders also worked to change other aspects of daily life, enacting laws that affect everything from the program to public schools at legal recreational pot.
With 2022 upon us, here are some of the new laws that took effect on January 1.
The Empire State hike – along with those in California, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island – is among increases planned to hit a low of $ 15 per hour, according to a report by Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory US, which provides information on finance, compliance and regulation.
States have also increased rates due to previously approved legislation or voting initiatives, and other state-imposed wage increases – in places like Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Ohio, South Dakota, Vermont and Washington – are due to automatic costs. – life adjustments based on inflation.
Missouri voters passed a proposal in 2018 that gradually increases the statewide minimum wage to $ 12 over five years. Michigan, New Mexico and Virginia have passed similar legislation with targets of $ 12.
Surprise medical bills
The federal ban – which Congress approved in late 2020 – bans most unexpected medical bills from off-grid providers and will apply to around 10 million bills per year, according to federal estimates.
It protects patients when they receive emergency care or scheduled care from doctors and hospitals that are not part of their insurance networks and that they have not chosen. Consumers are only responsible for their cost sharing on the network in these situations.
Course of Study
Alcohol and recreational cannabis
Californians of drinking age had something else to celebrate at midnight: several years of take out liquor sales.
And in Montana, residents 21 and older will be permitted to purchase recreational cannabis in select counties starting Saturday.
The law only applies to counties that have approved a 2020 ballot initiative related to recreational cannabis use.
Environment
As policymakers discussed the impact humans have on the environment, some mundane things have come under scrutiny.
For residents of Washington, DC, these are gasoline leaf blowers.
CNN’s Shawna Mizell and Tami Luhby contributed to this report.