New year laws across several states are set to change what people pay, what they can buy and the rules they face when driving or serving alcohol—ranging from climate funding to health and wage issues. In Hawaii, lawmakers are directing new tourism tax money toward projects officials say are meant to make the state more resilient as disasters intensify.
The changes highlighted by Associated Press cover multiple themes: climate resilience, stricter alcohol controls tied to driving-under-the-influence convictions, lower-cost insulin through state-labeled products, and minimum wage increases. The list also includes new specialty license plates and other state-level adjustments set to begin with 2026.
In Hawaii, officials are moving to make a “Green Fee” part of the tourism tax structure. The plan raises the tourist lodging tax by an additional 0.75% daily room rate tax, with proceeds intended to support efforts such as replenishing sand on eroding beaches and removing invasive grasses. The Associated Press report said officials estimate the measure will generate nearly $100 million annually, and that the projects are tied to lessons drawn from a deadly wildfire on Maui in August 2023. Democratic Gov. Josh Green said at the time of signing, “As an island chain, Hawaii cannot wait for the next disaster to hit before taking action. We must build resiliency now.”
Utah’s new rules focus on alcohol and repeat behavior involving driving under the influence. Under the law described by Associated Press, restaurants and bars will be required to check identification for every customer, “regardless of age,” before serving or selling them alcohol. For people convicted of “extreme driving under the influence”—which the report defines as a blood alcohol content of at least 0.16% or certain other factors—drivers’ licenses will have to be surrendered, with replacement identification marked with a prominent red stripe and the words “No Alcohol Sale.” The report also said judges could apply the restriction in cases involving lesser offenses, and that people seeking to avoid alcohol can voluntarily obtain the red-striped ID.
A second public-health step appears in California’s plan to enter the insulin market itself. The Associated Press report said California will become the first state to sell affordable insulin under its own label, using the “CalRx” brand of insulin pens. It described a recommended price of $11 per pen and a maximum price of $55 for a five-pack, and tied the launch to a partnership announced about three years earlier between Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and the nonprofit Civica to sell state-branded generic drugs at lower prices. The report also noted that Newsom signed legislation requiring large health insurers to cap insulin copayments at $35 per month.
Minimum wage increases are also part of the 2026 rollout. Washington’s statewide minimum wage will move to $17.13 per hour through an annual inflationary adjustment, making it the first state to exceed the $17 threshold, according to the Associated Press report. The same report said Connecticut’s minimum wage will rise to $16.94 and California’s to $16.90, with some cities moving higher, including Seattle to $21.30 and Tukwila to $21.65. It also said at least a dozen states will have minimum wages of $15 or more, including new rates set by voter-approved ballot measures in Missouri and Nebraska, while 20 other states will continue following the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
Georgia is among the states adding a new layer of everyday branding through its vehicle registration system. The Associated Press report said Georgia’s new specialty vehicle license plates will feature an image of the American flag with the words “America First,” and that the plate will cost $90 in its first year and $55 to renew, compared with $20 yearly for a standard plate. It quoted Republican state Sen. Steve Gooch saying the plate gives people an opportunity to “show your support for President Trump and his movement with every mile you drive,” and it included Gooch’s comments that other states would copy the legislation next year. Several other states are also introducing new patriotic license plates tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the report said, including Michigan’s red, white and blue design and South Carolina’s “Where the Revolutionary War Was Won” plate; it also said Pennsylvania has already printed a “Let Freedom Ring” plate featuring the Liberty Bell.
The overall picture in the Associated Press report is that state legislatures are using the start of 2026 to roll out changes that touch daily routines—from where money from tourism taxes goes, to who can legally be served alcohol, to how much people pay for essential medications and the wages they earn.