A whopping 725 new laws have gone into effect in California with the passage of the new year. Here's a quick guide to some of the legislative changes:

• AB 119 prevents insurance companies from charging different rates for men and women for identical coverage.
• SB 782 prevents landlords from evicting tenants who are victims of domestic or sexual abuse or stalking.
• AB 1844 is informally known as Chelsea's Law, and will increase penalties, parole provisions and oversight of sex offenders, including a "one-strike, life-without-parole penalty" for some. 
• AB 1871 allows people to lease out their cars when they are not being used—alleviating the need to purchase additional insurance.
• AB 537 will make food stamps an acceptable form of payment at farmers markets through an EBT process.
• SB 1411 makes it a misdemeanor to maliciously impersonate someone via a social media outlet or through e-mails.
• SB 1317 allows the state to slap parents with a $2,000 fine if their K-8 child misses more than 10 percent of the school year without a valid excuse. It also allows the state to punish parents with up to a year in prison for the misdemeanor.
• AB 715 makes a change to the California Green Building Standards code. The change will require new California buildings to be energy efficient.
• SB 1449 makes the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana an infraction with a penalty of a $100 fine.
• AB 12 allows foster care youth to acquire state services until the age of 21.
• SB 1399 allows California to medically parole state prison inmates with physical incapacitating conditions and ultimately shifts some of the cost of care to the federal government.
• AB 97 bans the use of trans-fats in food facilities.

For more information on state laws, visit the official California legislative information website.