state laws

Social media platforms will face a bevy of new restrictions in New Jersey that limit their use of children’s data, restrict algorithmic content recommendations to minors, and block notifications during school hours, among a range of others.

The new restrictions, which are set to take effect in September 2027, flow from legislation Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed Tuesday and are New Jersey’s bid to regulate tech giants the governor said federal policymakers had largely left to their own devices.

“Big tech isn’t just the big tobacco of our era. They are worse. They designed platforms that highjacked our kids’ attention spans,” Sherrill said at a bill signing ceremony in Jersey City. “The typical American teen spends about 35 hours a week, almost a full-time job, on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.”

The restrictions in the New Jersey Kids Code Act would require privacy settings on minors’ social media accounts be set to their strictest mode and would limit platforms’ ability to request minors change those settings.

It would restrict platforms’ use of children’s data to the purposes for which it was collected and bar algorithmic content recommendations unless a minor specifically requests more or less content from a given account or of a specific type.

The restrictions mandate that social media platforms limit the discoverability of children’s accounts, both to adults on their own sites and through search engines.

Siting Solutions chalked up significant wins in Illinois, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington state, as well as moderate policy gains in Maryland and New Jersey — all states controlled by Democrats.

“This bill has helped put one piece of my fractured life together,” Soto said. “That cushion will make my life a little easier, but in no way does any amount of money give me back the years that I’ve lost.”

Soto and cousin David Ayala were 20 and 18 when they were arrested following the shooting deaths of 16-year-old Julie Limas and Hector Valeriano, 18, a U.S. Marine on leave, in 1981. They were sentenced to natural life in prison before they were exonerated and released in 2023.

Soto said he would be eligible for the new payout limits and planned to put it toward “a decent apartment” and costs associated with law school.

He advocated for the bill with other exonerees and the Illinois Innocence Project, he said, “for everyone who comes after me.”

Newsom said on Monday that as the federal government pulls back from supporting EVs, California would instead be “putting its foot on the accelerator” — and that the instant rebate program would “[make] it easier for families to drive clean, breathe clean, and keep more money in their pockets.”

The program has secured $270 million in funding — half of that from the state budget and the other from participating EV automakers. 

“Where the federal government is unwilling to step up, states must venture once more unto the breach,” Pritzker said at a news conference in Chicago. “History has shown time and again that thoughtful regulation is a requirement for sustainable innovation when our economic and national security is at stake.”

The legislation that Pritzker signed will require large AI developers — those with more than $500 million in annual gross revenue — to publish explanations of how their products could pose a “catastrophic risk” and how those risks would be addressed. The requirements take effect Jan. 1, 2028.

State Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, who led the charge for the assault weapons ban after having to run for his life during the mass shooting at the parade, touted the law as having “already led to record lows of gun violence and mass shootings.”

“We are saving lives in Illinois with our assault weapon ban, and will continue to pursue all options available to end the scourge of gun violence in our state,” Morgan said in a statement.

“No mother should have to fear dying during or after childbirth, and no family should have to endure the pain of losing a mother to an avoidable death. Today, we are taking decisive action to make sure more women across Virginia can get the care they need at all stages of pregnancy,” said Governor Abigail Spanberger. “The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate compared to any other high-income country, and we know Black women are at far greater risk than the rest of our neighbors. I am deeply grateful for the years of work by leaders in the General Assembly to address these challenges, and I am proud to sign this legislation into law to protect Virginia mothers.”

“These new laws make sure mothers can get the care they deserve and children have the best start in life,” said Senator L. Louise Lucas, Co-Chair, Virginia Black Maternal Health Caucus. “Too many mothers, especially Black mothers, are facing life-threatening and high-risk childbirth. Virginia’s maternal mortality rate is one of the highest in the nation. By getting this legislation signed inti law, we are fulfilling a moral duty today to protect mothers and their children from harm.”

Colorado Democrats have passed a new law designed to preserve the state’s ban on so-called “conversion therapy” after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state’s previous attempt to shield young people from the dangerous and discredited practice.

The Colorado General Assembly on Thursday approved HB26-1322, legislation that rewrites the state’s conversion therapy statute in direct response to the Supreme Court’s March ruling in Chiles v. Salazar. The bill now heads to Gov. Jared Polis, a gay Democrat, who is expected to sign it into law.

"The passage of HB26-1322 is a clear statement from Colorado’s Legislature that conversion therapy is dangerous and has lasting negative impacts on those who are exposed to it,” Mardi Moore, chief executive officer of Rocky Mountain Equality, told The Advocate in a statement. “This law keeps the state ban on the practice in place by complying with Chiles v. Salazar to ensure viewpoint neutrality, and gives survivors additional time to hold practitioners who did harm accountable."

Leger Fernández thanked them for allowing lawmakers to name the law after Giuffre, whose posthumous memoir “Nobody’s Girl” details her recruitment at the age of 16 by Epstein collaborator Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as the abuses that followed.

“It’s her courage that we are honoring today with Virginia’s Law,” Leger Fernández said. “Her courage unlocked the first set of gates that were protecting the rich and powerful. This bill will unlock the doors to the courthouse for the survivors. And to every Epstein co conspirator and sexual predator: We’re coming for you.”

Among the most notable measures signed was the Vax Act (HB 637/SB 385), which separates Maryland's vaccine guidance from federal directives. The law grants the Maryland Department of Health Secretary new authority to issue independent recommendations for immunizations, screenings, and preventive health services drawing from trusted medical bodies like the American Academy of Pediatrics rather than defaulting to federal agencies. The move is a direct response to recent federal rollbacks of vaccine recommendations under the current administration.

The Maryland Academy of Family Physicians played a meaningful role in bringing this legislation to life. MDAFP member and past president Dr. Amar Duggirala testified twice in support of the Vax Act before the General Assembly.