Wednesday October first will see several new high profile laws go into effect here in Maryland.  Some of the new laws include:

MARIJUANA DECRIMINALIZATION

The possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana will no longer be a criminal offense and will become a civil offense.. Civil penalties include $100 for a first offense, $250 for a second offense and $500 for a third offense. The law requires teen offenders to be evaluated for treatment.

 

TRANSGENDER DISCRIMINATION

Transgender residents will be protected against discrimination on matters relating to housing, employment, credit and use of public accommodations. The law defines gender identity as the gender-related identity, appearance, expression or behavior of a person, regardless of the person’s assigned sex at birth. According to the new law, gender identity is demonstrated as “consistent and uniform assertion of the person’s gender identity or any other evidence that the gender identity is sincerely held as part of the person’s core identity.”

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Committing domestic violence in front of a child could face an added penalty of up to five years in prison. To obtain a final protective order  the standard of evidence will be reduced from “clear and convincing” to “a preponderance of the evidence.” Maryland had been the only state in America that has used the higher standard of proof for final protective orders. Second-degree assault will also be added to crimes for which a person can obtain a final protective order.

CORRECTIONS

Several new laws aim to address prison security. One raises the maximum penalty for smuggling in a cellphone to five years incarceration and a $3,000 fine. Another lets prison authorities immediately suspend guards without pay if they’re caught smuggling in certain contraband. This includes cellphones, weapons or drugs. Other laws apply to new staff members. The state will now have the right to require lie detector tests for job applicants.

These new laws have arisen after 44 people, including 27 corrections officers, were indicted in a smuggling scheme involving a gang inside the Baltimore City Detention Center.

ON THE ROAD

Drivers will be required to move into an open lane away from tow trucks attending to roadside emergencies, or to slow to a speed that is reasonably safe, just as they are required to do when approaching police and other emergency vehicles stopped on the road side. Another law creates added penalties for motorists who cause accidents resulting in death or serious injury while text messaging or talking on hand-held cell phones. Offenders will face penalties of up to a year in jail and a fine of $5,000.