Dig through new state laws for unique business stories
By Flickr user Jaap den Dulk
No more workplace smoking in Kansas. Stricter continuing education rules for insurance agents in Hawaii. In Florida, higher stakes in poker games and help for homeowners associations. And Alabama joins the states that have banned K2 or “Spice,” a sort of fake marijuana sold at herb shops and convenience stores.
Those are just a tiny sampling of new state laws slated to take effect July 1. And they’re a gold mine as the basis for business and consumer stories.
Of course, big issues like smoking laws and texting-while-driving bans likely already have received lots of coverage and in your market. In cases like that, it’s still worth looking for the spin-off effect on small businesses and suppliers. Will companies need more outdoor ashtrays for sidewalk puffers, or those portable smoking huts for inclement weather? Are electronics stores noticing a run on hands-free telecommunication devices?
Apply the same methodology to new laws that at first glance don’t seem to have much to do with business and the economy. For every rule on the books, there is someone out there who’s making a living – or even a profit – helping people comply. Who’s providing the continuing education courses in Hawaii, for example? This state Web site lists approved contractors.
Most states are slashing budgets, leaving contractors in the lurch. This analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows how your state stacks up against others; in a related article updated recently, the CBPP rounds up the types of cuts each state is making. Read between the lines to determine which vendors – from childhood learning centers to home care providers to psychologists – might be losing business due to dwindling tax dollars.
If you’re unused to searching legislative databases, ask your statehouse reporters for help. Later this month the wire services and some public service organizations likely will publish roundups but nothing is out yet, according to a check with Stateline.org. However, do check out Stateline.org’s articles, the National Conference of State Legislatures directory of state legislatures’ sites and even lobbying groups in your region should turn up some new laws of interest.
You also, of course, can check on the economic impact of laws that took effect January 1 of this year. For example, in Washington state, dog breeders are now under new restrictions governing the number of animals they may house and certain sanitary requirements. The National Conference of State Legislatures published this list of January 1 laws; check for samples from your state. The NCSL’s State Legislatures magazine also will help you tune in to trends.
Don’t forget about local ordinances, too, especially rules spawned by the nuisance value of abandoned properties, vacant dwellings and other fallout from the imploded real estate market.
