OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A host of new laws went into effect on Wednesday, Jan. 1 in Washington, including a new Medicare law on the federal level.

The state minimum wage has increased to $16.66 an hour, the highest of any state in the country and a 38-cent increase from 2024. Meanwhile, Bellingham’s minimum wage will rise to $18.66 starting on May 1.

The state’s paid sick-leave policy has expanded to make it easier for workers to use their accrued time.

Hospitals can no longer require nurses and specialists to work overtime.

Animals will also see new protections thanks to a law requiring boaters to stay 1,000 yards away from Southern Resident orcas and another banning the sales of cosmetics that were tested on animals.

And fines and penalties have increased for negligent driving that results in a serious death or injury.

On the federal level, a new law limiting how much Medicare patients can pay for prescription drugs also went into effect on Wednesday.

Medicare patients enrolled in a voluntary program called Part D caps what enrollees pay for medication annually at $2,000. According to AARP, most Medicare patients that are expected to benefit from the limit are between 65 and 84 years old.

In Washington state, approximately 42,000 will likely see savings at the pharmacy counter, but nearly 800,000 are enrolled in the program.

The cap is from overall efforts to lower prescription drug costs as part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.