Over 200 new Washington state laws take effect Thursday, covering various topics including abortion taxes, voting rights, and student restraints. Among them is a tax hike on health insurers offering plans on the Washington Health Benefit Exchange to raise additional funding for abortion services. Senate Bill 6182 imposes an assessment of 82 cents per month of coverage for each plan enrollee in the first year, dropping to 16.5 cents in the following years.

Voting Rights Act Enhancements

Washington lawmakers passed two new laws to shore up the state version of the Voting Rights Act. House Bill 1710 forces jurisdictions with histories of voting discrimination to get approval from the Attorney General before making changes to their voting systems. House Bill 1750 expands the state voting rights law to bar local governments from imposing election policies or practices that could result in a material disparate burden on the ability of members of a protected class to vote or otherwise participate in the political process.

Other New Laws

Other new laws taking effect include a ban on physically restraining students in ways that restrict breathing or blood flow to the brain, and a law allowing, but not requiring, retailers to round up or down cash purchases to the nearest nickel due to the federal decision to stop producing pennies. Additionally, a new law prohibits employers from requiring workers to get microchip implants, and another law allows gamblers to wager on college sporting events played by teams from in-state universities.

A law aimed at reducing anxiety in traffic stops for people with autism also takes effect, allowing neurodivergent drivers to obtain blue envelopes with tips for both the officer and the driver for such interactions. The program is voluntary and doesn’t require any medical documentation.

Original reporting: Clark County Today (Vancouver WA) — read the source article.