Laws set to take effect New Year's Day

Courtesy of Star Gazette



The New Year will bring a number of new laws to New York, with a series of measures set to take effect as soon as the ball drops on 2012.
The new laws include big-ticket items passed during the regular 2011 legislative session, such as a 2 percent property-tax cap on local governments and school districts, a measure that was a centerpiece of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's campaign and first year in office.
Also included are many of the provisions in a December deal between the Legislature and Cuomo that overhauled the state's income-tax brackets and partially repealed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority payroll tax.
"These new laws that take effect January ... came about because we ended gridlock and partisanship, and worked with the governor to make Albany function again," Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, said in a statement.