Several new laws will take effect Monday across the region. Some are raising the minimum wage, others are cracking down on animal cruelty, and still others are regulating the ticket sales landscape.
Next Monday, several new laws will go into effect across our region. Some laws raise the minimum wage, others crack down on animal cruelty, and still others regulate the ever-confusing landscape of ticket sales.
Here are some laws that will go into effect July 1 in Washington, Maryland and Virginia:
D.C.
Minimum Wage Increase: The minimum wage in the district will increase from $17 per hour to $17.50 per hour for all workers, regardless of the size of their employer.
Maryland
The Engaging Neighborhoods, Organizations, Unions, Governments, and Households (ENOUGH) Act: Provides grants to community organizations for proposals in areas where a disproportionate number of children live in poverty. Gov. Wes Moore set aside $15 million in this year’s budget to fund the initiative in its first year. The program will be administered by the Governor’s Office for Children.
Ticket Sales and Resale: SB 539 regulates ticket sales by prohibiting the sale of speculative tickets. The ticket seller must disclose information about the ticket, including the total price, fees, and taxes.
Retail Alcohol Delivery: House Bill 808 establishes a local delivery service permit that allows delivery of alcoholic beverages from businesses licensed to sell them. Delivery drivers can apply for a license through their local licensing board, but this varies by jurisdiction.
Clean Indoor Air Act: The law prohibits vaping in certain indoor public spaces, public transportation and workplaces.
Inheritance or gift preferences on college applications: House Bill 4 prohibits colleges and universities that receive state funds from considering an inheritance or gift preference when considering admissions applications.
Virginia
Child Marriage: HB 994 sets the legal age of marriage at 18 and removes the ability for a minor who has been declared emancipated to marry.
Legacy Admissions: HB 48 prohibits any public institution of higher education from providing preferential treatment in admissions decisions based on a student’s legacy status.
Declawing Cats: HB 1354 makes it illegal to declaw cats except for necessary therapeutic purposes.
Reducing Speed Limits by Locality: The bill HB 1071 expands the authority of any locality to reduce the speed limit to less than 25 mph on highways within its boundaries in a business district or residential area.
“Lucia’s Law”: SB 44 charges any parent, guardian or person 18 or older responsible for the care of a child with a felony if their child comes into possession of a firearm after being notified that the child poses a threat to themselves or others. The law is named for Lucia Bremer, a 13-year-old girl from Henrico who was killed by another teenager with documented mental health issues.
Ban on automatic triggers: HB 22 bans “automatic triggers,” a device used to convert a semi-automatic firearm so that it fires automatically without manual reloading by a single trigger function.
State Pollinator: HB 517 makes the European honeybee the official state pollinator.
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