The first of the year is the first day for many newly passed laws to take effect both nationally and in Alaska.
January first marks the deadline by which the federal government must come to an agreement to avoid the budget cuts and tax increases known as the "fiscal cliff".
New Alaskan legislation beginning January first will allow owners of manufactured (mobile) homes to cancel their vehicular registration of the home through the Alaska DMV, effectively changing the home from "personal" property to "real" property.
Homes designated as real property are eligible for real estate financing, which currently carries lower interest rates than personal property financing.
New year's day is also the first day new EPA regulations will go into effect, designating 200 nautical miles of North American coastline as an Emissions Control Area. Vessels operating in the ECA, including 100% of Alaska's cruise ships, will have strict regulations on the sulfur content of the fuel they use beginning January 1.
A law passed in Russia, banning Americans from adopting Russian children, will also take effect on the first day of 2013.
Although the first of the year is the effective date for many bills signed into law over the course of 2012, criminal legislation typically has a July 1 effective date for laws passed the previous year.
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