It depends on the nature and severity of the violation, and I am certain it varies by college as well. Also, academic integrity violations are generally more concerning than behavioral. So any academic cheating is more concerning than getting caught vaping, for example. I expect there are colleges that deny a student who engaged in any type of academic cheating. On the behavioral side, being arrested for identity theft or attacking a teacher with a sharp weapon would be automatic denials (both real examples in apps I’ve read.) As always, context can be important as informed by a school counselor or teacher.
Lastly, if a student doesn’t report a violation and we found out some other way, as I said above, that generally would result in a denial. I can’t understate how many calls we receive from applicants’ peers/their parents regarding charges of another applicant lying on their app. My school investigates every single situation.
I don’t have any knowledge of why some states have these laws. It could be as you say. It could because some types of students receive a disproportionate share of disciplinary actions.
While I agree that students should always seek advice from their HS counselor, it’s important to remember that the majority of HS students don’t have access to adequate counseling and most don’t have a dedicated college counselor.