Hundreds of state and federal laws are set to take effect on Jan. 1, and they cover a plethora of topics, from head injuries in school sports to drinking water regulations and inmate release notifications.

Local state and federal politicians, such as Assemblymember Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) and State Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Santa Monica) have been attempting to alert their constituents regarding the implementation of new legislation.

Among them is the Divest From Iran Act, authored by Feuer and Bob Blumenfield (D-San Fernando Valley). The bill aims to enhance the state’s divestiture law and bring more transparency to California’s public pension funds, in hopes of ensuring that taxpayer dollars are not used to aid Iran’s nuclear weapons development.

“This new law underscores that complying with California’s divestment laws is mandatory,” Feuer said in a statement. “As one of the world’s largest economies, California can take a meaningful stand against companies that choose to fund Iran’s nuclear ambitions by investing in its energy sector.”

Both legislators last year authored the Iran Contracting Act of 2010, a bill that prohibits contracts of $1 million or more between the state and companies with business in Iran’s energy sector. That bill, AB 1650, also passed.

Another bill authored by Feuer will allow same-sex spouses and registered domestic partners of nursing home residents the same financial protections available to married heterosexual couples. The bill will allow residents in same-sex relationships to apply for Medi-Cal’s long-term care benefit without risking access to joint bank accounts or stocks.

“This new law addresses an inequity that would have left same-sex spouses of nursing home residents without the means to support themselves,” Feuer said. “When spouses make the difficult decision to place their loved ones in nursing homes, they should concentrate on finding the best possible care. They should not have to worry that their spouse could lose access to joint financial resources and face poverty due to unequal treatment and discrimination.”

The federal government recently issued a memo saying that states have flexibility in administering the long-term care benefit.

Feuer’s AB 1344 seeks to address local government abuses, such as the scandal in the city of Bell. It restricts excessive and automatic increases in local officials’ pay, and also requires officials who are convicted of a crime to reimburse local agency funds used during their legal defense, such as paid leave and cash severance.

“This new law aims to restore the public trust in local governments by implementing several much-needed good government and transparency policies,” Feuer said. “California taxpayers must have confidence that their representatives are expending funds appropriately.”

The bill also requires government hearing agendas to be posted online, and that the community has more involvement in adopting guiding legal documents for local governments.

Additionally, Feuer authored a bill establishing the Certified Green Business Program, which provides participating businesses with consultants who offer assistance on implementing quality environmental practices.

Pavley has 14 bills set to take effect in 2012. They cover topics from energy appliances to business regulations to sex offenders. Two of her bills — one that would have doubled fines for elder abuse and another that would have imposed protections for the issuance of signature stamps — were vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown.

“My legislative package was aimed at helping Californians,” Pavley said, “whether through encouraging business growth in the state, providing additional tools to law enforcement to protect our residents or encouraging the adoption of energy efficiency measures.”

Pavley’s SB 61 will continue the state’s wiretap program, which aids the most serious and difficult law enforcement issues, such as organized crime and large-scale narcotics seizures.

SB 152 repealed a law that prohibited the state from charging for any private recreation pier that is erected on state lands for use by the landowner. The State Lands Commission will be allowed to charge “appropriate and fair rents” for such piers, according to a statement.

Pavley’s SB 170 allows local air districts to negotiate for a share of revenues with entities that provide research and development for new technology that reduces pollution and offers other public benefits.

SB 179 aims to ensure that sex offenders who are identified as violent predators serve their court-order parole after being released from state hospitals. According to a statement, a loophole was allowing serious sex offenders to forego parole supervision after being released from state hospitals into the community.

Pavley also authored bills that allow physician assistants to provide more services in emergency rooms and allow students to attend a school in a district in which the parent or guardian works. SB 454 empowers the California Energy Commission to further regulate energy-efficiency appliances, and SB 502 requires all general acute care hospitals with a perinatal unit to have a posted infant feeding policy that promotes breastfeeding and other guidance.

Additional Pavley bills require more rigorous assessments of economic impacts by government agencies, completely ban lead in jewelry, reallocate $25 million in low-interest loans for local governments for energy efficiency retrofits, allow protective orders for up to 10 years for domestic violence victims, and give authority to probation officers and county medical staff to provide care to juvenile detainees even if the parent or guardian cannot be located.