New laws in 2016 show states are diverging on guns, voting

Everytown for Gun Safety, a group backed by billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is seeking to be a counterweight to the National Rifle Association's lobbying of state lawmakers.

Whether to raise the minimum wage has become another hot topic in states and cities, with the issue getting no traction in the Republican-led Congress.

New voting laws, meanwhile, could help shape the outcomes in state and federal elections in the coming year.

Democrats and others who want to boost voter participation have been pushing to expand access to the polls, while conservatives have pushed for measures aimed at preventing election fraud.

Texas, the second-most populous state, is joining 44 other states in allowing at least some firearm owners to carry handguns openly in public places.

Another will allow people to request that a judge order weapons be taken away from relatives who are believed to pose a threat.

Critics of the measures — mostly Republicans — say that could lead to voter fraud and is part of a plan to register more voters who are likely to be Democrats.

There are still legal challenges over the law, and opponents want a judge to delay implementation.

Children whose parents refuse to have them immunized against several diseases will not be allowed to enroll in public or private school and would instead have to be homeschooled.

Employers with at least 20 workers in Washington, D.C., and New York City will be required to offer commuter benefits such as tax-free mass transit subsidies to their workers.

In Missouri, a new law will link the duration of jobless benefits to the state's unemployment rate.

Labor groups and workers keep pushing for higher raises while many business groups say raises could come at the expense of jobs.

For pregnancies terminated after the 20th week, doctors must explain to the state Department of Health and Human Services how continuing the pregnancy would have threatened the life and health of the mother.

Missouri, in a crackdown on the state's commercial "puppy mills," is requiring dog breeders to provide more space for their animals and is barring them from using wire-strand flooring in dog kennels.