Horse Therapy, Gender-Neutral Bathrooms, and Hate Crime Work Leave: The Wild Blue State Laws of 2025

With President Donald Trump back in office, 2025 began with all eyes on the White House. From effectively banning the use of paper straws to attempting to block diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in schools with the stroke of his pen, Trump wasted no time enacting his agenda.

Yet, while executive orders flowed from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, lawmakers in the country's bluest of blue states quietly passed laws that cemented their own ideological mandates.

From increased tourism taxes in Hawaii to employee leave for experiencing hate crimes in Washington state, Democratic lawmakers took advantage of their foothold at the state level, with lots of radical laws taking effect at the beginning of this year.

Gender ideology ran rampant in California public schools, and Connecticut snuck in a win for "unhoused people." Below are some of the most controversial and outrageous blue state laws that went into effect at the beginning of 2026.

California Mandates Gender Neutral Bathrooms in K-12 Schools

California Governor Gavin Newsom has been outspoken in his support of transgender-identifying people, and specifically transgender-identifying children.

"I want to see trans kids," Newsom said in a recent interview with the New York Times. "There's no governor that's done more pro-trans legislation than I have."

So, in time for the 2026-27 school year, all public and charter schools in California are required to have a gender-neutral bathroom, per SB760.

California taxpayers are on the hook for these renovations, as the bill explains that state-mandated changes to school construction are ultimately funded by the state.

California Bans ‘Book Bans’

The California legislature passed AB 1825 in 2024, but this law officially went into effect at the beginning of 2026.

Under the California Freedom to React Act, libraries that receive state funding are not allowed to “ban books” based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or political views, even if the books are potentially inappropriate for certain age groups. Further, the law blocks librarians and other library staff from retribution for allowing these sorts of books on library shelves.

"I don't like a kid going in there and seeing 'I can choose to be a boy or girl,'" Fresno County Supervisor Steve Brandau said of the legislation, referring to the prevalence of children’s books dealing with themes like gender identity to which many parents would prefer their children not be exposed.

"It didn't seem age-appropriate, especially without the parent being involved."

Hawaii Hikes Taxes on Tourists to Bankroll Climate Change Crusade

If you plan on taking a vacation to Hawaii this year, beware, because tourists are footing the bill on a new tax called the "Green Fee," added to vacationers' bills at the end of their stay.

Hawaii estimates that the fee will generate more than $100 million in revenue annually, charging patrons an additional 0.75 percent tax on hotels, vacation rentals, short-term rentals, and, beginning in July 2026, cruise ship cabin stays, all in the name of climate change. While tourists were previously paying a 10.25 percent tax on top of nightly rates and other fees, it is now 11 percent.

Signed into law back in May 2025, the revenue from the "Green Fee" will be used to combat the state's many climate-related woes, and what the state government is calling "environmental stewardship, climate and hazard resilience, and sustainable tourism."

Tourism is already the largest single source of private capital for the state of Hawaii, bringing in billions of dollars per year for the state. Yet, the state government is placing another burden on visitors.

Washington State Mandates Hate Crime Work Leave

In the state of Washington, if you experience a hate crime, don't fret: Your boss is now required to give you ample time off to heal and recover from the experience.

"One of the best predictors of whether a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or hate crime will be able to stay away from an abuser is the victim’s degree of economic independence," according to SB5101. "However, domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and hate crime often negatively impact victims’ ability to maintain employment."

Even if an employee experiences a hate crime online or claims to be harassed on social media, the employer is required to give said employee time off, without penalty, to get their affairs in order. Notably, these hate crimes do not necessarily have to have occurred in the workplace; any negative experience now warrants "reasonable leave."

Connecticut Bans 'Hostile Infrastructure' Deterring 'Unhoused People' From Sleeping on Benches, Sidewalks, etc.

In a special session this past November, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed a housing bill into law, Public Act 25-49, which he previously vetoed in June, as the state worked to address its affordability crisis.

While Nutmeggers are concerned with the cost of housing, one particular component of the bill addresses "unhoused" citizens, and more specifically, where they are allowed to sleep.

The bill bans "hostile architecture," like armrests in the middle of benches, that are often implemented to stop homeless people from sleeping on the structures.

The governor passed this bill with no Republican support. Now, homeless people are free to live and sleep wherever they would like in Connecticut.

Illinois Health Insurance Plans Must Now Cover Therapeutic Horse Riding

This past August, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 69 into law, which requires certain insurance plans to cover hippotherapy.

Illinois residents did not ask for a hippopotamus for Christmas, as the name makes it seem. Rather, this bill mandates that insurance plans cover horse therapy, a type of physical, occupational, and speech therapy that treats autism, cerebral palsy, arthritis, and PTSD through interacting with a horse.

Those who have used the therapy praise its benefits, with one patient saying six weeks of equine therapy was more successful than eight years of traditional therapy.

While not necessarily controversial, Illinois residents may now take a second look at their insurance plan to see if it covers hippotherapy.

Illinois is trailblazing access to hippotherapy, with this bill cementing the first mandate of its kind in the United States and ensuring Illinoisans' access to this horse-centric therapy.

It is, if nothing else, the first time the administrative state has mounted a horse and called it health care.