10 of the Worst State Laws Going Into Effect in July
From minimum wage hikes to bans on cellphones in public schools, here are some of the most ridiculous ways state governments are interfering with Americans’ lives.
Even though most state legislatures are done for the year, Americans can expect the government to keep interfering with their lives. Starting July 1, many new state laws take effect. Here are 10 of the most ridiculous.
1. Florida Requires Schools To Call the Gulf of Mexico the 'Gulf of America'
On Inauguration Day, President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America." In response, Florida passed House Bill 549, which, effective July 1, requires state agencies to update geographic materials to reflect the new federal designation. The law also requires "each district school board or charter school governing board" to adopt "instructional materials…and library media center collections that reflect" the new designation of the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
H.B. 549 is not only intrusive to local school districts' authority over what their students should learn but also costly to the taxpayers who are funding the purchase of all new materials.
2. Minimum Wage Hikes Across 3 States
Across the country, minimum wage increases will take effect on July 1. In Alaska, the minimum wage is increasing from $11.91 per hour to $13 per hour. In Oregon, the standard minimum wage will rise from $14.70 per hour to $15.05 per hour. And in Washington, D.C., the minimum wage will hike from $17.50 per hour to $17.95 per hour.
Proponents of raising the minimum wage argue that an increase is necessary to ensure everyone is given a "living wage." But these actions can have unintended consequences, like causing overall employment to decrease, increasing prices for consumers, or causing businesses to close. In D.C., a minimum wage increase for tipped workers was paused until October due to many restaurants being unable to afford the increase from $10 per hour to $12 per hour for these employees.
3. Alabama Bans Smokable Hemp Products
Under a new Alabama law, H.B. 445, it will be illegal to sell or possess smokable hemp products. While consumable hemp products like gummies or drinks will be allowed, smokable products are specifically excluded and banned. "Possession or sale of those products on or after July 1, 2025 could subject an individual to prosecution for a Class C felony," the attorney general's office said. In Alabama, a Class C felony is punishable by one to 10 years of imprisonment.
The remainder of the legislation, which sets requirements for the sale of edible hemp products, dosage limitations, and enforcement by the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, won't take effect until 2026.
4. Vape Registration in Wisconsin
Starting July 1, vape product manufacturers must certify with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue that their products have been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or have submitted a premarket tobacco product application annually. The goal of the law is to deter tobacco shops from selling harmful products, but few vapor products have received FDA approval. Critics say the legislation will hurt small business owners and their employees. "Pretty much every vapor product across the board is effectively banned," Amber Crawford, a Wisconsin vape shop owner, told WQOW, an ABC News affiliate. "It's about 70% of my revenue," Crawford said. "We're going to lose dozens of jobs of people that care about it deeply. Chances are I will get laid off and the store will close."
5. Cellphones Banned in Virginia Public Schools
Beginning July 1, Virginia school boards will be required to implement policies restricting cellphone possession and use by students during school hours. The bill aims to reduce learning disruptions, like bullying and harassment, while carving out exceptions—like to address a health concern—and dictates that punishments for cellphone possession alone shall not include a school resource officer, suspension, or expulsion.
Such bans have increased in popularity in part because smart devices have been blamed for causing more depression, anxiety, and bullying among kids and teens, but implementing state-wide policies could backfire. The data are unclear on whether devices are the cause of concerning mental health trends among school-age children, and parents aren't sold on banning devices. A survey earlier this year found that most parents believe cellphones have a positive effect on their kids' lives. Regardless of their impact, there is no clear one-size-fits-all solution.
6. Virginia Expands Cyberbullying Prevention Policies in Public Schools
Public schools in Virginia must also include procedures for preventing and prohibiting cyberbullying both on and off school property in their guidelines and codes of conduct starting July 1. The legislation defines cyberbullying as "bullying that occurs through the use of technology…capable of accessing the internet." It also mandates that schools provide protections so that students aren't deterred from reporting bullying and provide resources and support for student victims of cyberbullying. Forcing schools to regulate speech outside of school property introduces First Amendment concerns if policies are overly broad or vague.
7. Prohibiting Gender Transition Treatments for Minors in Kansas
Under the Help Not Harm Act, minors will be restricted from certain gender treatments beginning July 1, after the Legislature successfully overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's (D–Kan.) veto in February. Under the new law, gender transition treatments, including hormone blockers and surgery, are prohibited, and state funds, including Medicaid, cannot be used to pay for these treatments. Providing such treatments is defined under the law as unprofessional conduct, and those who violate the law can have their license revoked and be held strictly liable if sued.
The legislation is meant to protect children "from the irreversible harms of experimental gender transition surgeries and medicines," according to a joint statement from Republican state Reps. Chris Croft, Dan Hawkins, and Blake Carpenter regarding the veto override. But whether these treatments are deemed beneficial or harmful, the practical implication of this new law is that parents now have less authority over the care their children receive.
8. Wyoming Restricts Access to Bathrooms and Other Public Facilities
Joining 18 other states with public bathroom restrictions, Wyoming's H.B. 72 requires persons to use the bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers in public facilities that correspond to their biological sex. Rather than punish individuals either civilly or criminally for using the wrong facility, it is up to the government body operating the facility to enforce the law, or face civil liabilities. But like other states that have tried to enforce bathroom use based on sex, the law creates fear and uncertainty about what is permissible use and what the consequences of any violations may be.
9. Gender Identity Removed From Iowa Civil Rights Act
Under Iowa Senate File 418, gender identity is no longer protected from discrimination in housing, employment, wages, and public accommodations under the state's civil rights code. Additionally, Iowans can no longer change their sex designation on a birth certificate after undergoing a medical gender transition. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds stated that before the bill was signed, "the Civil Rights Code blurred the biological line between the sexes" and put commonsense protections for women and girls at risk. Iowa will be the first state in the country to take away civil rights from a group it previously protected since 2007.
10. The Sunshine State Expands Death Penalty Executions
Florida has carried out seven executions in 2025, with an eighth scheduled for July. To continue these executions, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed H.B. 903, authorizing the state of Florida to use any execution method "not deemed unconstitutional," including firing squads, nitrogen gas, and hanging. There are 269 inmates currently on death row.
Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, Florida has executed 113 people by either electrocution or lethal injection. In that same time, 30 people sentenced to death in the state have been exonerated. The death penalty remains controversial for many reasons, not least of which is the significant risk of executing an innocent person.
