New year, new laws: Watch it with that burger!

"Florida's lead has assured that this issue will continue to percolate into action elsewhere," says political scientist Mr. Schier.

Gay rights. Same-sex couples in California can now make medical decisions for a hospitalized domestic partner or sue for a partner's wrongful death. The law may indirectly add momentum to the movement for gay marriage, in the wake of civil union laws passed by Vermont last year.

"This advances the steady, national conversation on the rights of millions of gay Americans," says Jenny Pizer, spokeswoman for Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, which represents gays and lesbians. She says the California law covers only about a dozen of the protections given to conventional married couples, while Vermont and Hawaii cover many more.

Economy and taxes. The slowing US economy was behind the efforts of some states to institute tax changes or revenue-raising measures.

South Carolina has instituted a new lottery - with prizes up to $100,000 - while in West Virginia video poker is now legal and regulated, providing money for college scholarships. (But not every state is continuing the gambling trend: Georgia's video-poker operators must turn off their machines because of a ban approved by lawmakers last September.

Washington State, strapped by Boeing layoffs and a $1.2 billion deficit, initiated the highest cigarette tax in the country: $1.42 per pack, a 60 percent increase.

State budget director Marty Brown says the tax hike will help provide health insurance for low-income individuals. "Our existing health service program to insure poorer individuals was always there, but underfunded," Mr. Brown says. The new tax should insure 133,000 more people than previously, he says, unless consumers turn to untaxed Indian reservations and military installations for their cigarettes.

Concerns about falling revenues are behind other moves by states and cities to hunker down for 2002 and beyond. Many have set the groundwork for budget-cutting into the new year. Many states are looking to redefine tax structures or simplify sales taxes.

"With the economy going down by most indications at least for a while, states are responding," says Gene Rose, spokesman for the National Conference of State Legislatures. "This is the one big issue to straddle the New Year."

Other actions. New state laws address a gamut of other concerns:

• In Michigan, all felons will have DNA testing in case it might prove their innocence.

• Texans can pay $2.25 to get on a state "no call" list aimed at stopping unsolicited sales calls at home.

• As the US Congress considers a minimum-wage hike, Hawaiian employers will now pay at least $5.75 an hour.

• In Oregon, hunters who set traps for beavers, foxes and other animals will have to check them at least once every two days.

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