A look at new laws going into effect in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware in 2025
The new year is officially underway, and a series of new laws are now in effect across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
Here are some of the laws impacting each state, from increases in the minimum wage to expanded access to abortion.
Pennsylvania
Health insurance plans in Pennsylvania, including Medicaid, will now have to cover biomarker testing for cancer.
- Legislation passed in 2024 will expand patient access to personalized cancer treatments and require insurers to include biomarker testing as a covered benefit.
New Medicaid coverage allows for doulas to be reimbursed.
- Under the law, certified doulas can be reimbursed for providing childbirth education services, support services, physical and emotional support during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and up to one year after a parent gives birth.
Safe haven laws have been expanded, and urgent care centers can now accept newborn surrenders.
- Urgent care centers in Pennsylvania have been added to the list of "safe havens" in the state, where parents can surrender newborn babies without penalty. Under Pennsylvania's Safe Haven Law, people can also surrender newborns up to 28 days old to any hospital, police station or EMS station.
First responders are now eligible for workers compensation if they develop PTSD.
- According to the International Association of Fire Fighters, the amendment to Pennsylvania's Workers' Compensation Act will lower the burden of proof for first responders to establish a post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) claim.
State lawmakers, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, will receive a pay raise in 2025.
- Under a state law that guarantees Pennsylvania state lawmakers, judges and top executive branch officials an automatic pay raise, more than 1,300 workers, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, will get a pay raise of 3.4% in 2025. The law delivers automatic raises that match the federal consumer inflation figure for mid-Atlantic urban areas.
New Jersey
Minimum wage increase in effect on Jan. 1, 2025.
- New Jersey's statewide minimum wage increased by $0.36 to $15.49 per hour for most employees at the start of the new year. According to the state, the minimum wage rate for employees of seasonal and small employers will continue to increase gradually until 2028. The minimum hourly wage for these employees increased to $14.53 on Jan. 1, up from $13.73.
Freedom to Read Act prohibits "arbitrary" book banning.
- New Jersey's Freedom to Read Act was signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in December and bans "arbitrary" book banning and protects the rights of students, parents and teachers to have access to "age-appropriate books and learning materials at schools and public libraries."
Health care providers required to give patients opportunity to create personalized postpartum care plans.
- New bipartisan legislation will require health care providers in New Jersey to offer personalized postpartum care plans for new parents, including those experiencing pregnancy loss and stillbirths. According to the state, the law requires health care professionals to provide pregnant patients with a postpartum planning session as early as the first trimester of pregnancy.
Delaware
Minimum wage goes up for Delaware workers.
- Delaware's minimum wage is now $15 per hour, up from a $13.25 minimum wage that went into effect in Jan. 2024. Certain employees are exempt from the minimum wage standards, including agricultural employees, United States government employees, and outside commission-based salespeople.
Bill expands access and coverage for abortion services.
- New legislation requires all medical providers to cover abortion-related services, effective Jan. 1, 2025. State employee health plans and Medicaid plans for lower-income residents are required to cover abortions with no deductible, copays or other cost-sharing requirements.
Gun safety legislation expands list of places where firearms are prohibited
- Signed in May, the legislation creates an application process to obtain a handgun purchase permit to authorize buying a handgun. Delaware will also include colleges and universities in the list of School Zones where guns are prohibited, with exceptions for those working as law enforcement officers and commissioned security guards.
