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NEW YORK — The new year begins with a series of new laws going into effect Monday throughout the Eastern U.S.
Perhaps most notable is New Jersey’s bipartisan “Seinfeld Bill” requiring Garden State telemarketers to provide the name, mailing address and telephone number of the company for which they’re working within 30 seconds.
The inspiration for Senate Bill 921’s nickname was a 1992 episode of the hit sitcom “Seinfeld” in which comedian Jerry Seinfeld fields a call from a telemarketer and asks for that person’s name and number so he can bother them at home in the same fashion the caller is inconveniencing him.
Lawmakers cited “an overwhelming number of scams targeting seniors by phone” when the bill was signed into law in May. The bill prohibits solicitors from phoning residents between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m.
Pennsylvanians who steal Amazon deliveries could be charged as felons starting this year, thanks to a “porch pirating ” bill targeting repeat offenders. However, a bill introduced in 2023 aimed to eliminate a three-strikes felony provision for retail theft in the Keystone State.
Newly enacted legislation in New Jersey also means many people working minimum wage jobs will see their hourly wages jump a dollar to $15.13.
New Yorkers earning minimum wage also will get a $1-an-hour raise, bringing their hourly earning to $16.
The minimum wage also is going up in Connecticut, thanks to legislation passed in 2019. Workers earning $15 an hour will get $15.69 starting New Year’s Day. Connecticut residents looking to subsidize their incomes by collecting bottles will now get a dime rather than a nickel for each container they collect.
Massachusetts residents will enjoy the state’s first tax cut in more than 20 years. Bowhunters in parts of the state also will see an earlier start to deer and wild turkey season come fall thanks to legislation passed in the Bay State.
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