New Maryland Laws Effective July 2016 With More to Come October 2016

In Maryland, when both chambers of the General Assembly (House and Senate) have passed a bill, it is submitted to the Governor for his signature to make the bill into law or, if the Governor rejects the bill by a veto, the bill becomes law through three-fifths vote of the membership of each chamber. The Maryland Constitution requires new laws to take effect on the first day of June after the session which they were passed, unless another date is scheduled. In the past, Maryland bills were scheduled to become effective in July, but lately, many laws also get scheduled to take effect at the start of the  federal government’s new fiscal year, in October or at the start of the new calendar year, in January.

Media outlets, like the Baltimore Sun and the Capital Gazette have highlighted a few of the new laws that rolled-out in July. The most talked about law was the minimum wage increase to $8.75 per hour. This law is an example of how changes in state law can occur on a regularly-scheduled basis. This minimum wage change is part of an incremental increase under the Maryland Minimum Wage Act of 2014. It will reach $10.10 by July 2018.

To learn more about how a bill becomes a law in Maryland see the Maryland Manual On-Line’s page on the Legislative Process. See all Legislation passed by both chambers here. To read about more laws resulting from the 2016 session, see the Department of Legislative Services’ “90 Day Report”, a comprehensive review of legislation that was considered during the session. Also, see the “2016 Chapters: Chronological by Effective Date,” a list of new laws by Chapter Number and Bill Number in order of effective date.