A new year means new legislation will take effect.
Here's a look at some of the most impactful new laws that residents throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware will see take effect in 2026.
The CROWN Act
Starting in the new year, Pennsylvania residents will be protected from being discriminated against due to their hairstyle thanks to House Bill 439 -- or, Pennsylvania's version of The CROWN Act.
This new legislation, that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed at a ceremony at a West Philly hair salon in November, is intended to address an issue that, he said, disproportionately impacts Black Pennsylvanians who wear their hair in "protected styles like locks, natural braids or twists."
The bill was set to take effect 60 days after it was signed, meaning the law will be enforced beginning on Jan. 27, 2026.
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Notifications when weapons found in schools
A new bill -- Senate Bill 246 -- will see legislation put in place that will require any "school entity" in the state -- including public, nonpublic and private schools -- to be required to alert parents, guardians and school employees anytime a weapon is found on a school's property.
The legislation requires schools to notify parents, guardians and school workers within 24 hours of any such incident.
This legislation was signed into law in November and is set to take effect upon 60 days from the signing, which would be Jan. 6, 2026.
Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit
A new Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit, that will begin with the 2026 tax season, will provide up to $805 to working Pennsylvanians.
Working Pennsylvanians may be eligible to receive up to $805 through a new state tax credit created in the 2025-26 budget, which was signed by Gov. Shapiro on Nov. 12, 2025.
Overall, officials said the program is intended to provide $193 million in relief to 940,000 working Pennsylvanians.
Covering mammograms and breast cancer screening
With Senate Bill 88, Pa. legislators will remove cost sharing for breast cancer screening and genetic testing and will require insurance companies to provide coverage of genetic testing and other methods to foster early detection, said the bills sponsor, State Senator Frank Farry (R-Bucks) in a statement on the bill's passing.
It will also require insurers to cover mammograms for individuals over the age of 40 and mastectomy procedures, as well.
This bill will take effect on Jan. 23, 2026.
Municipalities can junk abandoned boats
In a memo on House Bill 103, State Rep. Anita Astorino Kulik (D- Allegheny County) says that, throughout the state, boats that are abandoned often are "simply left indefinitely at a dock or along the shoreline of a waterway."
And, determining ownership of an abandoned watercraft, she said, can prove difficult. In order to allow officials to remove abandoned boats from waterways, this new legislation allows municipalities and law enforcement officials to cease abandoned boats and provides new fines for owners of these boats, when they can be determined.
This legislation is set to go into effect on Jan. 3, 2026.
Minimum wage increase
With the start of the new year, New Jersey’s statewide minimum wage will increase by $0.43 to $15.92 per hour.
The garden state's minimum wage has been gradually increasing ever since New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed an increase package into law back in 2019.
This year's increase will be the final scheduled increase through that package.
Bridge, Turnpike and Parkway toll hikes
The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, come Jan 1, 2026, will raise the price of tolls at all eight of the commission's toll bridges.
The eight toll bridges impacted by the rate hike are:
For passenger vehicles that have E-ZPass, rates will go up by 50 cents -- from $1.50 to $2 -- but, for those without the payment system, toll-by-plate tolls for passenger vehicles will jump from $2 to $5.
For toll-per-axle vehicles, which are above eight feet in height, tolls would increase by $2 per axle. So, rates would climb from $4.50 per axle to $6.50 per axle for drivers with E-ZPass.
Along with these increases, as part of its annual budget, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority announced that tolls would increase by 3% on the Parkway and the Turnpike beginning on Jan. 1, 2026.
This increase should only amount to a few cents for most drivers, officials said.
NJ establishes Dept. of Veterans Affairs
In September 2025, Gov. Murphy signed legislation to create the Department of Veterans Affairs. This will split the state's current Department of Military and Veterans Affairs into two.
The new law will take effect on Jan. 9, 2026, and will see the new department focusing on veteran-related matters, such as delivering housing, health care, mental health services, and benefits for veterans and their families.
The original department will be renamed the Department of Military Affairs and it will focus on military operations.
The Healthy Delaware Families Act
Delaware will have paid leave for employees who need support during a health or family event as, starting Jan. 1, 2026, workers will be able to submit claim applications for paid medical leave.
It's a program that has been long coming as, with the start of last year, employers in the state’s plan began to see payroll deductions for employees contributing to the cost of Delaware Paid Leave.
To learn more about the program, that will be available with the start of the new year, click here.
Dental hygienists can now administer local anesthesia
Delaware may be the 'first state,' but it is the last state in the country to permit dental hygienists to administer local anesthesia under direct dentist supervision.
But, with the passing of Senate Bill 131, that will change.
It's a move that, officials said, will expand the hygienists’ scope, help more patients get cleanings and periodontal care quickly while keeping safety standards set by the Board of Dentistry & Dental Hygiene.
New breastfeeding and lactation program for incarcerated woman
Though it won't go into effect until July of 2026, the newly enacted House Bill 3 will see the state create a breastfeeding and lactation program to support women who are being held in the custody of Delaware's Department of Corrections.
Supporters of this legislation said that the move permits women to collect breast milk for infants and toddlers in order to help support healthy youth and provides "nutrition information and a meal plan specific to pregnant, post-partum, or lactating women, based on national best practices."
Through this act, the Department of Corrections will also be required to provide annual reports on the number of participants of this new program and the nature of the services that are provided.
Delaware looks to lower rates of allergies to eggs and peanuts in children
With House Bill 274, legislators are looking to help cut the rates of egg and peanut allergies in children by requiring all health insurance plans to provide coverage for early peanut and egg allergen introduction.
Legislators said that current medical guidance suggests that, by the age of six, all infants should be introduced to these allergens and should regularly consume both egg and peanut proteins until the age of one to reduce the risk of developing allergies.
The legislation was signed in 2024, but starting Jan. 1, 2026, it will apply to all health insurance policies, including Medicaid.
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