Several states saw a polarizing legislative session last year as lawmakers tackled high-profile measures, some of which take effect this year.
While many Democratic- and Republican-led states passed measures to ease the effects of inflation as the economy remains a top concern for voters ahead of the 2024 election, states were split along party lines on marquee issues such as abortion rights and gender-affirming care for minors.
Here are some of the state and federal measures taking effect January 1.
One of the marquee issues across state legislatures in 2023 was gender-affirming care for minors, with several Republican-led states moving to enact restrictions.
Gender-affirming care spans a range of evidence-based treatments and approaches that benefit transgender and nonbinary people. The types of care vary by the age and goals of the recipient, and are considered the standard of care by many mainstream medical associations.
Among the states that moved to pass a ban on such treatments for minors are Idaho and Louisiana, and the bans take effect Monday.
Under the Idaho law, physicians or practitioners who provide puberty-blocking medication, gender-affirming surgeries or other treatments to minors could face a $5,000 fine and a felony charge.
In Louisiana, those under 18 are now barred from receiving gender-affirming surgeries, puberty-blocking medications and hormone treatments, and health care professionals who provide them could be punished with the revocation of their license for a minimum of two years.
On the other hand, Maryland was one of several Democratic-led states that passed protections for gender-affirming care for all ages. As of Monday, the state requires Medicaid to provide coverage for such care.
While several near-total bans in…
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