Maryland

Hundreds of new laws in Maryland will be enacted on July 1. Here’s a glance of what’s to come.

Published

2 days ago

June 29, 2024

Press Room

Hundreds of new laws in Maryland will be enacted on July 1. Here’s a glance of what’s to come.

BALTIMORE – The beginning of July will make way for hundreds of new Maryland laws to take effect.

Here’s a glance at what’s to come July 1.

ALCOHOL DELIVERY

Alcohol delivery will expand in the state. Delivery drivers will be able to apply for a service permit, which will allow for the delivery of alcoholic beverages from an authorized business. There will be an annual $1,000 fee for the permit.

Chuma Chiza, a liquor store owner in Baltimore City, said this legislation will help expand opportunities for small businesses.

“That’s an extra income,” Chuma Chiza. “It helps us reach farther than our own community.”

TICKET SALES AND RE-SALES

The law puts umbrella protections in place for consumers who are in the market to purchase tickets. The legislation bans speculative tickets. The seller must disclose information about the ticket. This includes the total price with fees and taxes.

“What we want to do by this is taking out the deception, taking out this huge profit, taking out this manipulated market and create this fair environment for purchasing tickets,” Maryland State Senator Dawn Gile said earlier this year.

CLEAN INDOOR AIR ACT

The Maryland Clean Indoor Air Act was amended in 2024 that prohibits vaping in virtually all indoor public spaces and workplaces. The Act, first signed into law in 2007, was updated to “persevere and improve the health, comfort, and environment of the people of Maryland by limiting the exposure to environmental smoke,” according to the Maryland Department of Health.

“You aren’t allowed to smoke cigarettes in most places,” Baltimore resident Joshua Smith said. “Why would vaping be any different?”

The Act prohibits people from smoking and vaping in public meeting places, mass transportation and indoor places of employment.

PAVA LAPERE ACT

The Pava Marie LaPere Act prevents those convicted of first-degree rape and most violent sex crimes from earning early release diminution credits for good behavior.

“We’re just happy that other families can be protected,” Frank LaPere said. “We can’t bring her back, but we know that through this legislation, other families will not go through the grief we’ve had to go through.”

LaPere, a rising tech CEO in Baltimore where she founded EcoMap Technologies, was brutally murdered at her Mount Vernon apartment building in September 2023.

Jason Billingsley is in prison, charged with LaPere’s killing, as well as a sexual assault and arson at a nearby complex.

Billingsley is a convicted felon and registered sex offender who was released in 2022 on parole. He pleaded guilty to sexual assault in 2015 and was sentenced to 30 years, with all but 14 suspended. He only served seven, though, being released in October 2022 because he earned enough diminution credits.

LaPere’s murder called for change.

NEW VEHICLE FEES

Maryland drivers will have to pay about 60 percent more to register their vehicle. For a typical passenger car, drivers will have to pay $110 per year for their Maryland plates. Currently, Marylanders pay $135 to register their vehicles for two years.

Cristina Mendez

Cristina Mendez joined WJZ in November 2021 as a multimedia journalist.

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Maryland

Maryland Launches Pioneering Cannabis Workforce Program – LocalNews1.org

Published

2 hours ago

July 1, 2024

Press Room

Maryland Launches Pioneering Cannabis Workforce Program – LocalNews1.org

HAGERSTOWN, MD – The Washington County Department of Business and Economic Development is thrilled to announce a groundbreaking initiative led by Governor Wes Moore: the launch of the Cannabis Workforce Development Program. This pioneering effort, the first of its kind administered by a cannabis regulatory agency nationwide, aims to support Marylanders entering the expanding cannabis industry. The program prioritizes individuals with prior cannabis-related offenses, aligning with Governor Moore’s recent historic pardon of over 175,000 such charges.

Please read below and remember, reach out to Linda Spence, Business Specialist with the Department of Business and Economic Development at [email protected] or by phone at 240-313-2286 if you have additional questions.

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today announced the launch of the Cannabis Workforce Development Program, the first workforce development initiative developed and administered by a cannabis regulatory agency in the nation. This program, which will prioritize individuals with a history of cannabis-related offenses, is launching after Governor Moore’s historic pardon of more than 175,000 cannabis charges last Monday.

“This groundbreaking collaboration will support Marylanders interested in joining the state’s growing cannabis industry and prioritize individuals and communities directly impacted by the War on Drugs,” said Gov. Moore. “For decades, cannabis policy has been used as a cudgel. Together, we prove how cannabis policy can be used as a valuable tool to leave no one behind.”

The Cannabis Workforce Development Program – which will be offered free of charge to eligible applicants – is a joint partnership with the Maryland Cannabis Administration and the Maryland Department of Labor’s Employment Advancement Right Now (EARN) Program. The program will help reduce barriers to employment and create paths to sustainable jobs in the cannabis industry. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis starting July 1.

“Maryland is leading on cannabis reform and reinforcing that legalization must be accompanied by efforts to address the burdens of criminalization,” said Maryland Cannabis Administration Director Will Tilburg. “Through this program, individuals adversely impacted by cannabis criminalization will be able to receive real-time, hands-on experience and access to job placement.”

Program participants will have access to eight instructor-led, self-paced courses taught by industry experts, licensed operators, and college professors. Upon completion of 100 cumulative hours of virtual coursework and instruction, participants may enroll in a two-day intensive in-person course that provides 16 hours of hands-on occupational training. In-person training will be offered once per month beginning in November 2024 at locations across the state.

Anticipated locations and dates for the initial roll-out of the Cannabis Workforce Development Program include:

November 2024: Baltimore Region
December 2024: Anne Arundel County
January 2025: Southern Region
February 2025: Prince George’s County
March 2025: Eastern Region
April 2025: Western Region

“EARN promotes jobs and economic growth in Maryland, and the cannabis industry offers opportunities for entrepreneurs and career seekers,” said Maryland Department of Labor Secretary Portia Wu. “We wanted to prioritize that opportunity for residents who have been limited in the past by a prior cannabis-related conviction.”

In addition to receiving a grant award of $122,000 from EARN to jumpstart the program, the Maryland Cannabis Administration has secured partnerships with several licensed cannabis operators and two institutions of higher education with longstanding and celebrated records of innovative cannabis industry education and workforce development: Anne Arundel Community College and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

To learn more about the program, visit www.cannabis.maryland.gov.

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Maryland

A severe thunderstorm watch is up till 11:00 PM for Maryland

Published

9 hours ago

June 30, 2024

Press Room

A severe thunderstorm watch is up till 11:00 PM for Maryland

BALTIMORE — It is the last day of June and Mother Nature has us going out with a bang! The Storm Prediction Center has placed us under a level 2 risk for strong to severe storms in central Maryland and the eastern shore.

WMAR

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is also up until 11:00 PM. Multiple warnings have been issued across the state so far. Once our cold front passes through storms will exit the region and temps will fall. Dry skies are expected over the next couple of days.

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