Category: Maryland Law

New Maryland laws take effect on October 1, 2014!  We will be publishing a series of posts highlighting a few of the newly enacted laws.  Please note that this series is just a small sampling of the new laws enacted by the 2014 Legislative Session.  To read about more laws resulting from the 2014 session, see the 90 Day Report – A Review of the 2014 Session published by the Department of Legislative Services of the General Assembly of Maryland.

Was there a major issue from the 2014 session that was not covered in this series?  The 90 Day Report – A Review of the 2014 Session includes a hyperlinked list of Major Issues from 2014 such as Distracted Driving, Dog Owner Liability, Medical Marijuana, Minimum Wage, Estate Tax and Transgender Rights.  Also, note that some new laws from the 2014 session, such as Maryland Minimum Wage Act of 2014, are effective as of July 1, 2014.

Can’t find what you’re looking for?  The Department of Legislative Services of the General Assembly of Maryland publishes a Popular Terms List as a reference for current legislation that is often referred to by the public and media by certain popular terms.  Also, the Department of Legislative Services of the General Assembly of Maryland publishes compilations of executive orders.

Do you prefer paper sources?  The Law Library’s collection includes a copy of the 2014 Maryland Legislative Review Service, published by LexisNexis, which summarizes the 2014 Acts of the Maryland General Assembly Regular Session and organizes the 2014 Acts by topical headings.

Don’t forget – the Law Library is here if you have questions or would like additional information. Contact us!

New Maryland laws take effect on October 1, 2014!  We will be publishing a series of posts highlighting a few of the newly enacted laws.  Please note that this series is just a small sampling of the new laws enacted by the 2014 Legislative Session.  To read about more laws resulting from the 2014 session, see the 90 Day Report – A Review of the 2014 Session published by the Department of Legislative Services of the General Assembly of Maryland.

Senate Bill 364, Ch. 158 “makes the use or possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana a civil offense punishable by a fine, rather than a crime subject to imprisonment or a fine.”

Senate Bill 923, Ch. 256/House Bill 881, Ch. 240 expands the State of Maryland’s “medical marijuana program to allow qualifying patients to obtain medical marijuana through persons other than academic medical centers.”   In addition, Senate Bill 923/House Bill 881 also “expand[s] the purpose and responsibilities of the Natalie M. LaPrade Medical Marijuana Commission”, which was established in 2013, “to include the registration of certifying physicians as well as conducting research on issues and disseminating information related to the medical use of marijuana, limit the number of licensed growers, and specify the process by which a qualifying patient may obtain medical marijuana, including provisions related to issuing identification cards for qualifying patients and their caregivers.”

New Maryland laws take effect on October 1, 2014!  We will be publishing a series of posts highlighting a few of the newly enacted laws.  Please note that this series is just a small sampling of the new laws enacted by the 2014 Legislative Session.  To read about more laws resulting from the 2014 session, see the 90 Day Report – A Review of the 2014 Session published by the Department of Legislative Services of the General Assembly of Maryland.

Senate Bill 348, Ch. 260/House Bill 1212, Ch. 248, commonly referred to as “Jake’s Law”, establishes “a new offense that prohibits [the] use of a handheld telephone or the writing, sending, or reading of a text message or electronic mail while driving and thereby causing an accident that directly results in the death or serious bodily injury of another.”  Violators are assessed 12 points against the violator’s license by the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration.  In addition, “[a] violator is guilty of a misdemeanor and is subject to imprisonment for up to  one year or a maximum fine of $5,000 or both.”  For more information about Jake Owen, the five-year old boy from Baltimore City who was killed when his family’s car was struck from behind by a driver on his cell phone, please see http://changeforjake.org/.

The news this weekend was full of reports on the new laws effective today, October 1, 2012.  The new “scooter law” seemed to be mentioned the most.

The MVA has information on the scooter law,  House Bill 149/Senate Bill 309 (CH. 210), including how to apply for a title and title decal on their website: http://www.mva.maryland.gov/About-MVA/Laws/new-scooter-laws.htm The MVA has also posted more information about other vehicle laws here:  http://www.mva.maryland.gov/About-VA/PRESS/120927.htm The laws include House Bill 313/Senate Bill 185 (CH. 47 ) which requires children, under the age of 8, to sit in a child safety seat unless they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall, regardless of their weight and House Bill 67 / Senate Bill 177 (CH. 44 ) establishes how drivers must respond to non-functioning traffic lights.

An article in the MSBA September Bar Bulletin, New Maryland Laws Taking Effect Oct. 1 Background on bills affecting legal community, by Richard A. Montgomery, III  lists laws that deal with subjects such as criminal procedure, family law, real property and witnesses. 

Maryland General Assembly, Department of Legislative Services, The 90 Day Report: A Review of the 2012 Legislative Session , is a great resource for an in-depth review of the legislation passed in the last Maryland legislative session.

Links to all of the 2012 Session bills can be found at the Maryland General Assembly website on the  Prior Session Page.