Minimum-wage increases, animal protections, police accountability measures, tax cuts and tax increases all were reflected in new laws that took effect across the country as 2022 began.
Some of the laws, such as abortion restrictions or police reform measures, address some of the most contentious issues of our time. Others address narrower issues of importance to states.
In Oklahoma, the top individual income tax rate dropped from 5% to 4.75%. Lawmakers also slashed the corporate income tax rate from 6% to 4%.
“I’ve pledged to make Oklahoma a top-10 state for business, and making our business taxes among the lowest in the nation is another tool that will help us continue to recruit and retain companies,” Gov. Kevin Stitt said after signing the bills.
Here’s a rundown of some notable new laws that officially took effect across the country:
• California became the first state to require a $15-an-hour minimum wage for businesses with more than 25 employees. A number of other places across the country already have reached the $15 threshold. More than 20 other states are also increasing minimum wages to amounts of less than $15. A handful of states have no state-level minimum-wage law, meaning they rely on the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
• In Georgia, a new law increases the amount people can earn before they start paying state taxes. The tax cut will save individual tax filers up to $43 a year, and married couples filing jointly up to $63. Georgia teachers who...
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