New Year, New Rules: The 2025 Laws That Are Shaking Up America

By Abigail West, U.S. Policy
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This year, America saw a great deal of new laws passed addressing issues such as AI, abortion, guns, tariffs, and more. 2025’s new policies and regulations display the ideological divide across the United States; while California and New York move to regulate AI and protect abortion access, states like Florida and Texas double down on restrictions. The country’s legal landscape is shifting fast; with new policies determining whether a woman loses or gains access to reproductive healthcare, whether small businesses will struggle under new tariffs, and if factory workers will earn higher wages or lose their jobs under the Trump administration. This article analyzes the most significant laws of 2025, revealing America’s deep political divide over the values shaping the future of the nation.

Artificial Intelligence

In recent years, use of AI has skyrocketed, meaning that this new popular technology needs to be regulated before it spirals out of control. This year, all 50 states have introduced legislation regarding AI, with 38 states adopting around 100 measures combined in 2025.

In October 2023, the Biden administration released the Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence, which created standards for infrastructure and AI-enhanced cybersecurity. Additionally, the Executive Order acknowledged AI’s potential challenges, stating that AI should not “worsen job quality” and must “advance equity and civil rights,” as well as requiring AI models to watermark content so the public can distinguish what is AI and what is not. (The White House 2023)

In January 2025, Trump repealed this Executive Order. He claims this action was to encourage innovation in AI, but the lack of oversight could potentially lead to regulation concerns and large safety risks (Swain, Gyana. 2025). In May 2025, House Republicans brought forth a clause into the tax and spending bill, which would ban state AI laws for 10 years (Brown and O’Brien 2025). Over 100 nonprofit organizations, elected officials, and other groups opposed this proposal, and the Senate voted 99-1 to defeat this ban. Senator Ted Cruz stated in September 2025 that the proposal would return to Congress for further debate (Adragna 2025).

There have also been new state laws introduced protecting likeness, voice, and digital replicas from AI. In Arkansas, the Frank Broyles Protection Act was amended by HB 1071 to add protections for individuals whose likeness, photograph, or voice is reproduced for AI use (National Conference of State Legislatures 2025). Tennessee also passed the Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security Act (ELVIS), barring unauthorized AI simulations of a person’s likeness or voice. New Hampshire criminalized malicious deepfakes, and California enacted multiple laws last year regarding AI including the Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act (AB 2655) and the AI Transparency Act (SB 942, effective Jan. 2026) (The Updated State of AI Regulations for 2025 2025). These laws have sparked concern on how AI crosses the line of authenticity and consent. This signals a shift to a more human approach to AI regulation.

Abortion

This year, several states passed legislation either restricting or expanding abortion access. Several blue states like New York, Vermont, and Colorado passed laws allowing abortion medication providers to use practice names instead of real names on prescription labels to shield them from persecution.

In New York, the “Shield Law 2.0” was passed to strengthen existing protections from interstate persecution for New Yorkers who provide or receive reproductive or gender reaffirming care (Shield Law 2.0 – NYCLU 2025). The Pharmacist Prescription Bill (A9119) allows licensed pharmacists to prescribe and order certain medications for abortions or miscarriages after a risk assessment and deliver information to the patient (NY State Assembly Bill 2025-A9119 2025). Legislation in New York such as the Military Funding Bill (A928A)(“NY – A00928.” 2025), the Born Alive Survivors Protection (S577), and the Medication Labeling Bill (S36A)(NY State Senate Bill 2025-S36A 2025) were also all introduced this year, which reflects how the state’s agenda this year covers everything from healthcare to reproductive rights.

Red states are continuing to seek criminal penalties for abortion medication (MultiState 2025). In states with abortion restrictions, lawmakers are continuing to crack down on any access to care. The Ohio Prenatal Equal Protection Act, or HB 370 would criminalize abortion in most circumstances. As of July 2025, 12 states have a total ban on abortion with very few exceptions (Johnston and Livingston 2024). After the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022, women have had to travel across state lines to receive abortion healthcare. As a result, low-income women do not have adequate access to reproductive healthcare, which widens the healthcare inequity gap (Karam et al. 2024). There are a few sites that track state laws and new legislation on abortion, including the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Guttmacher Institute (KFF 2025; Guttmacher Institute 2025).

Gun Laws and Firearm Regulation

There have also been new laws passed regulating firearm use in various states. At the state level, Colorado has raised the minimum age to purchase firearms to 21 (Gun Law Trendwatch 2025), while Delaware is implementing a controversial “Permit to Purchase” law, which will go into effect in November. The “Permit to Purchase” law requires all individuals seeking to purchase a handgun to complete a firearms safety course, pass a background check, get fingerprinted, and submit an application to the Delaware State Bureau of Identification. New York enacted a ban on pistol converters, as well as a requirement for firearms dealers to post and distribute warnings about the dangers of gun ownership (Safer Streets 2025).

Marijuana and Cannabis Use

As of 2025, 24 states have legalized cannabis use for adults. 19 states that haven’t legalized the use of cannabis still jail individuals who have possession of cannabis (Marijuana Policy Project 2019). The Supreme Court recently took up the case U.S. v Hemani, which will come to a conclusion next year. The case examines whether individuals can carry a firearm while using an illegal drug (such as cannabis) (Ryan 2025).

In New York, a new state bill, A7998, authorizes retail cannabis dispensaries and nurseries to sell up to three immature cannabis plants per person for personal cultivation. This October, Pennsylvania voted 10-1 in favor of setting up a Cannabis Control Board in the Pennsylvania legislature. Wisconsin may also join Nebraska soon in legalizing cannabis, as three Republican lawmakers in the state introduced a bill in October to legalize medical cannabis (NY State Assembly Bill 2025-A7998 2025).

Minimum Wage

At the federal level, no new minimum wage legislation has been passed in 2025, leaving the nation-wide rate at $7.25 per hour. This rate has not increased since 2009 under the Fair Labor Standards Act (Miller 2025). Currently, more than 30 states have their own minimum wage laws. By the end of October, more than half of U.S. states will have raised their minimum wages above $14 (U.S. Department of Labor 2024).

The “Raise the Wage” Act of 2025 would raise the federal minimum wage to $17 per hour by 2030. It also proposes phasing out subminimum wages for tipped workers, workers with disabilities, and youth workers (Zipperer 2025). This proposed legislation would impact 22 million workers across the country, and it would provide an extra $70 billion annually in wages for the average affected worker.

Tariffs and International Trade Policy

Since the beginning of his second term, President Trump has been increasing tariffs on U.S. imports with all global trade partners. In order to enact these trade tariffs, Trump used the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (Congress.Gov 2025).

In February, the U.S. entered into a trade war with Canada and Mexico. President Trump signed orders calling for 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico and Canada except for oil and energy, which were taxed at 10%. Both Canada and Mexico threatened retaliation with tariffs against the U.S. on American goods in March, and as of October, Canada is ready to take up trade negotiations talks with the U.S. when “the Americans are ready” (BBC 2025). The U.S. and Mexico are not formally in a trade war currently, but are still negotiating the threat of tariffs. Mexico was given a reprieve on tariffs of 30% or more until the end of October, giving time to strike a deal on negotiations.

In August, Trump imposed tariffs on dozens of other countries, with a baseline of 10% on imports from all countries. There is currently a 50% tariff on Indian and Brazilian goods, 30% on South African goods, 20% on Vietnamese goods, and 15% on Japanese and South Korean goods. China and the U.S. have agreed to a truce until November after threatening over 100% tariffs on each other’s goods (Clarke 2025).

From AI to abortion and tariffs, 2025 has shown us how divided America’s legal landscape has become. As debates over autonomy and how the government interprets rights continues, the United States faces polarization within the nation’s people. Will we progress as a country with this new wave of legislation, or will it expand the political divide?

Hi, my name is Abby West, I’m from Westchester NY, my role at HM is Associate Reporter-U.S. Policy. My majors are PPL and History, I am a sophomore, and I am on the pre-law track. I plan on going to law school after graduating early and pursuing an MBA. My research interests are in U.S. politics and policy, international affairs, and human rights. For my extracurriculars, you can find me on E-board for RENA Fashion Magazine and Binghamton Upcycle Project, as well as a part of Moot Court, Pipe Dream, the Food Co-Op, and working at Dick’s Sporting Goods. I also have my own political blog called ImpactInTen!

References

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