Gender-neutral toy aisles, blackout license plates, anti-book bans

Why it matters: From an anti-book ban law in Illinois to wider access to birth control, states legislatures across the country will reconvene for another year of policy-making on the nation’s most contentious, often cultural, issues.

Texas’ public colleges must comply with a newly signed state law banning diversity, equity and inclusion offices on their campuses.

The move comes as Republican-driven backlash over DEI is sharpening in politics, business and academics.

The law states that retail stores with 500 or more workers must sell toys and child care products (excluding clothes) in a gender-neutral section that’s “labeled at the discretion of the retailer … regardless of whether they have been traditionally marketed for either girls or for boys.”