While much attention has been paid to the ‘fiscal cliff’ and the federal legislation behind it, thousands of new state laws took effect more quietly at the start of 2013. 
 
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 The Los Angeles Unified School District All-City Honor Band marches in the Rose Parade on New Year's Day 2013. 
 
 Starting Tuesday, California hunters better not get caught using their dog to chase a bear or bobcat. Kentuckians should think twice about releasing a feral hog, and New Yorkers can get slapped with a $1,000 fine for selling even electronic cigarettes to minors. 
 
 While much attention has been paid to the federal legislation poised to kick in Jan. 1 – the automatic spending cuts and tax hikes collectively known as the “fiscal cliff” – thousands of new state laws took effect more quietly at the start of 2013. 
 
 “Each legislative session, lawmakers pass laws that range from extremely important to ridiculous,” says Robert Stern, former president of the Center for Governmental Studies in California, in an e-mail. 
 
 Overall, he notes, fewer laws are being enacted these days, primarily because tea party legislators campaigned on a platform of getting government out of the lives of ordinary people. 
 
 In 2009, 40,697 state laws were passed, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. But in 2012, under 30,000 went through. 
 
 “Many bills are passed to clean up past mistakes or to eliminate archaic laws passed decades ago,” Mr. Stern writes. Indeed, Kentucky just got around to deleting phrases from its constitution that spell out guidelines on pensions for Confederate soldiers. 
 
 In many other cases, state legislation can offer a window into what’s on the public’s mind. Here are some new laws that analysts say came out of recent, wide concerns: 
 
 • Prompted by the case of former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, who was convicted of sexually abusing 10 boys, California coaches and administrators in K-12 schools and higher-education employees who have regular contact with children are now mandated to report suspected child abuse. 
 
 • “Caylee’s Laws” take effect in both California and Illinois. The legislation – named after the 2-year-old daughter of Florida’s Casey Anthony, who was acquitted of the girl’s murder despite waiting a month before reporting her disappearance – imposes strong penalties for a parent or guardian who fails to report the disappearance or death of a child within 24 hours. 
 
 • Gay marriage becomes legal in Maryland, following the same move this past Saturday in Maine. Same-sex couples from other states are also now recognized in Maine. 
 
 • New Hampshire enacts a ban on so-called “partial-birth abortions,” and Montana now requires parental notification for any minor who wants to have an abortion. 
 
 • California becomes the first state to write into law expanded official authority to investigate mortgage fraud. Also, large lenders are now prohibited from foreclosing while evaluating a homeowner request for loan modifications. "Homeowners in all 50 states deserve these same strong protections and more," said Norma Garcia, Consumers Union financial services manager, in a statement. 
 
 • Pennsylvania now requires that contractors on public-works projects use the E-Verify system to confirm employees’ citizenship. E-Verify measures take effect in several other states as well. Also, Montana moves to withhold state services from illegal immigrants. 
 
 • After civil liberties groups and others criticized the practice of employers asking job applicants for passwords to their Facebook and Twitter accounts, that is now illegal in Illinois. 
 
 Some say that such a list is evidence that state governments are indeed addressing public concerns, despite polls showing that voters have extremely low opinions of their legislatures. 
 
 “For anyone who says our representatives do nothing, just have them take a look at all of the new state laws going into effect on Jan.1. Many of our state lawmakers do a whole lot of something,” says Jessica Levinson, former director of political reform for the Center for Governmental Studies, in an e-mail. 
 
 But one question is “whether legislation is the proper avenue through which to fix or solve that problem,” adds Ms. Levinson, who is now a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. ||||| The New Year has a lot brought with it lots of celebration, lots of fiscal cliff drama and probably, lots of determined resolutions. 2013 also comes with a slew of strange new laws, and some of them might crush a few dreams. Always wanted to a pop a wheelie on your motorcycle in Illinois? Now, sadly, you’re out of luck. 
 
 You also better think twice before you decide steal some cooking oil or use a plastic water bottle. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Study up and check out of 8 of the strangest new laws of 2013, below. 
 
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 Visiting An Illinois Strip Club? You're Doing A Good Deed! Strip clubs in Illinois must now charge $3 at the door and even better, all the proceeds must go to charity. It's called a “skin” tax and all the proceeds will go to rape crisis centers. Kentucky Says Wild Pigs Can't Be Released Into...The Wild Apparently, Kentucky wants to make wild pigs the next "man's best friend." Domesticated pigs? Sure! Starting today, it's illegal to send the wild little guys, well, back to the wild! Don't Even Think Of Stealing That Unused Cooking Oil In NC! In North Carolina, stealing unused cooking oil worth more than $1000 is now a felony. I guess they really had to crack down on all that culinary theft. CA: No Driver? No problem! In California, it's now legal for "driverless" cars to go on the road. Who does this law effect, you ask? I'm not really sure but don't get too excited: a human must always be in the passenger seat of all computer-driven cars. Five Cats In Kansas? One Too Many! In Wellington, Kansas, a new law limits each household to no more than four cats. Want to adopt more homeless kitties? Too bad! Plastic Bottle? In MA, You're In Trouble With The Law Concord, Massachusetts took a big environmental leap forward and outlawed plastic bottles today. Watch out with your Poland Spring at the gym: they're now considered contraband. Sad Bikers In Illinois Did you ever dream of moving to Illinois, buying a motorcyle and popping a wheelie? (Because, really, who doesn't?) Well, it's a little too late for your dream because Illinois outlawed motorcycle wheelies, starting today. No More Shark Fin Soup In Illinois Although Illinois doesn't appear to be close to any major shark fishing outlets, there's good news for the Hammerheads and Great Whites: the state has banned the sale and trade of shark fins. 
 
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– While everyone fretted about the fiscal cliff, thousands of new state laws quietly took effect at midnight. The Christian Science Monitor, the Washington Post, and Mediaite run down a few notable ones, from the weird (feral hogs?) to the more conventional: Caylee's Law: Legislation named after Caylee Anthony took effect in California and Illinois. Parents now face big penalties if they don't report the disappearance or death of a child within one day. Abortion: Partial-birth abortions are now banned in New Hampshire. In Montana, minors wanting an abortion must notify their parents. Illegal immigration: Employers in some states are now required to use the E-Verify system to confirm citizenship of their employees. Facebook: Employers can no longer ask job applicants for Facebook or Twitter passwords. Food safety: In Maryland, it's now illegal to use chicken feed that includes arsenic. Though it's the first state to pass such a ban, the practice is already illegal in Canada and the EU. Driverless cars: Are now legal on California roads, though a human must always be in the passenger seat. Weirder laws: No releasing feral hogs in Kentucky, and no using a dog to chase a bear or a bobcat in California. Strip clubs in Illinois must now charge $3 at the door and donate it to rape crisis centers. Also in Illinois, motorcycle wheelies are now banned. Also today, same-sex marriage became legal in Maryland.