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New Maryland, Virginia laws going into effect on Jan. 1, 2024 – WTOP News

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New Maryland, Virginia laws going into effect on Jan. 1, 2024 – WTOP News


There are a few new laws going into effect on the first day of 2024 that will directly affect residents in Maryland and Virginia.

There are a few new laws around the D.C. area that will go into effect on New Year’s Day.

There are no new laws in the District itself that will affect residents directly, but there are quite a few in neighboring states.

Laws that will go into effect on the first day of 2024 in Maryland and Virginia are outlined below.

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Virginia

The most important new laws going into effect for Virginians on Jan. 1 focus on health care, specifically making health care information and some treatments more accessible for residents.

Insurance covering hearing aids for minors

Health insurance plans offered in the Commonwealth in the new year will provide coverage for hearing-impaired people under 18.

If an otolaryngologist recommends hearing aids for a child, the new law states non-Medicare insurance will have to cover up to $1,500 for each hearing aid and related costs every two years.

State joins interstate counseling organization

Virginia joined the Counseling Compact in 2023, which connects licensed counselors across the United States.

Licensed professional counselors in all member states can work with residents in any of the states, so Virginia counselors and Virginia residents can access an even larger telehealth network when the new counseling law goes into effect on Jan. 1.

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This system is meant to address a national and local shortage of counselors, which has led to schools relying on online therapy for students.

Insurers must notify patients when they no longer support a health care provider

Insurance providers must give enrolled residents plenty of notice if they are planning to take their health care provider, such as a hospital or doctor, off their health benefit plan after Jan. 1.

A new law outlines how insurers will have to give a patient 90 days of notice if they plan to stop supporting one of their primary health care providers. Patients will also have the right to keep receiving services from that provider after they are dropped by their insurance plan for another 90 days.

Exceptions will also be made for patients who are pregnant or have life-threatening conditions.

Fairfax County

The county’s Park Authority will be upping the fees for recreational pools, park and water mine rentals, golf courses and commercial photography licenses in parks. Prices for most public recreation should only go up by a dollar or two, except for golf club membership fees, which will go up 4%.

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For precise fee increases, check out the county’s website and the fee schedule, which will display the updated prices on Jan. 1.

Prince William County

Commercial waste haulers will start being charged $40 a ton at the Prince William County Landfill. Residents will not be charged a tipping fee, but the county warns that this might impact the prices charged by private haulers.

Maryland

Minimum wage increase

Maryland’s minimum wage rate will increase to $15 an hour for all employers in the state, regardless of how many people they employ.

The new law raises the minimum wage two years ahead of schedule and will increase wages for approximately 163,000 employees, according to Gov. Moore’s administration.

Many businesses in Montgomery County have already been paying employees at least $15 an hour. A county law that went into effect earlier this year required companies with 51 or more employees to pay a minimum wage of $16.70 per hour.

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Mid-sized companies, defined as those that employ between 11 and 50 people, had their the minimum wages raised from $14 to $15 per hour.

Plastic bag bans across the state

Some counties and towns are enacting local plastic bag bans after a statewide bag ban failed to pass the state Senate in 2020 after making it through the house of delegates.

Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties, plus the city of Frederick, are each banning businesses from handing out plastic bags starting Jan. 1, 2024. Customers will have to bring their own bags to stores to shop for items like food, clothes and hardware, with some businesses offering paper bags as an alternative.

Most municipalities are easing residents into the ban, with three month grace periods after Jan. 1 and free reusable bags being handed out at community centers. Check out Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County and Frederick’s news releases on the new laws for more information.

Baltimore County also passed the Bring Your Own Bag Act earlier this year, which put a plastic bag ban and paper bag charge in effect at businesses in November 2023.

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Montgomery County grocery shoppers currently pay a five-cent tax on each plastic bag used at grocery, convenience and drugstores.

WTOP’s Ivy Lyons and Nick Iannelli contributed to this report.



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New Virginia driving law targets reckless driving with in-car technology

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New Virginia driving law targets reckless driving with in-car technology


CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – Tammy Guido McGee knows the pain reckless drivers can inflict. She and her loved ones have felt it themselves, after losing her son Conner in a reckless driving accident when he was still a young teen.

Through the loss, she has found herself taking an active seat in driving legislation going through the General Assembly. One bill just got a signature from Governor Glenn Youngkin, making Virginia the first in the country to pass such a law.

HB2096, going into effect July 2026, allows judges to order an Intelligent Speed Assistance device to be installed in convicted reckless drivers’ vehicles. The device can physically stop a driver from exceeding the listed speed limit.

“The need for this bill is urgent,” Guido McGee said. “It really is reckless driving continues to claim lives and cause irreparable harm across the country.”

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For Guido McGee, this is the game changer she, through Families for Safe Streets, has been advocating for.

“I mean, my baby is not coming back. We made history this last week here with Governor Youngkin, putting this bill into law, and it’s crucial,” Guido McGee said. “It’s a common sense piece of legislation.”

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Updated List of Virginia’s 35 NCAA Team National Championships

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Updated List of Virginia’s 35 NCAA Team National Championships


Virginia women’s swim & dive won its fifth-consecutive national title last weekend, claiming the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving National Championship in Federal Way, Washington. The Cavaliers won 10 of the 21 event titles, including four of the five relays, and finished with 544 total points in the final team standings, 127 points ahead of second-place Stanford.

UVA broke six NCAA records and five swimmers won individual NCAA titles, headlined by Gretchen Walsh, who won three individual titles and swam as part of four title-winning relay teams. She was named the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Division I Women’s Swimmer of the Year for the second season in a row and finished her collegiate career with nine individual event titles and a perfect 16/16 on relay titles. Her older sister, Alex Walsh, won one individual title and three relay titles and finished her career with nine individual titles as well as 14 relay titles. Claire Curzan won two NCAA titles and four relay titles, Anna Moesch won three relay titles, and Maxine Parker won two relay titles.

UVA head coach Todd DeSorbo was named the CSCAA Swim Coach of the Year for the fifth consecutive season. He became the fastest first-time head coach to win five swimming & diving championships, accomplishing the feat in his first seven tries. DeSorbo is tied for third-most NCAA championships among active head coaches.

Virginia joined Texas (1984-1988) and Stanford (1992-1996) as the only programs to win five straight national titles in women’s swimming & diving. This is the first time that any UVA sports team has won five NCAA national titles in a row. UVA men’s soccer won four NCAA championships in a row from 1991 to 1994.

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With this title, University of Virginia sports teams have now won 35 NCAA team national championships. Here’s the updated list:

Virginia: 35 NCAA Team National Championships

1938: Boxing
1972: Men’s Lacrosse
1981: Women’s Cross Country
1982: Women’s Cross Country
1989: Men’s Soccer
1991: Men’s Soccer
1991: Women’s Lacrosse
1992: Men’s Soccer
1993: Men’s Soccer
1993: Women’s Lacrosse
1994: Men’s Soccer
1999: Men’s Lacrosse
2003: Men’s Lacrosse
2004: Women’s Lacrosse
2006: Men’s Lacrosse
2009: Men’s Soccer
2010: Women’s Rowing
2011: Men’s Lacrosse
2012: Women’s Rowing
2013: Men’s Tennis
2014: Men’s Soccer
2015: Baseball
2015: Men’s Tennis
2016: Men’s Tennis
2017: Men’s Tennis
2019: Men’s Basketball
2019: Men’s Lacrosse
2021: Women’s Swimming & Diving
2021: Men’s Lacrosse
2022: Women’s Swimming & Diving
2022: Men’s Tennis
2023: Women’s Swimming & Diving
2023: Men’s Tennis
2024: Women’s Swimming & Diving
2025: Women’s Swimming & Diving

Virginia is tied with Oregon for 15th-most NCAA team national championships among Division I schools. With Stanford and Cal joining the Atlantic Coast Conference, UVA is now fourth for most NCAA titles in the ACC, trailing Cal (43), North Carolina (51), and Stanford (135), but the Cavaliers have by far the most NCAA titles of any school in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Read our coverage of each night of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships at the links below:

Virginia Wins Fifth NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship in a Row

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Gretchen Walsh Swims Sub 47-Second Fly, UVA Swim Wins Four More NCAA Titles

Gretchen Walsh Leads UVA Swim to Two Titles on Thursday at NCAA Championships

Virginia Swim Shatters 200 Medley Relay Record on Opening Night of NCAAs



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Five takeaways from Virginia lacrosse’s 12-10 loss to No. 8 Syracuse

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Five takeaways from Virginia lacrosse’s 12-10 loss to No. 8 Syracuse


The Virginia Cavaliers’ three turnovers during the last 4:26 against the No. 8 Syracuse Orange crushed the Wahoos’ chances of finishing an otherwise encouraging performance in their ACC opener on Saturday. The storied rivalry was littered with quick ball movement and stellar goalie play as Virginia and Syracuse combined for nearly 100 shots and 33 saves.

Virginia sophomore attackman McCabe Millon led the game with six points, off three goals and three assists, while senior attackmen Owen Hiltz led Syracuse with three goals and an assist.

Here are five takeaways from Virginia’s 12-10 loss:

UVA’s fast start breeds life

After freshman defender Luke Hublitz forced a turnover on Syracuse’s first possession, the ‘Hoos rattled off five shots before midfielder Johnny Hackett buried the sixth. Virginia continued to pester goalie Jimmy McCool throughout the entire first quarter, finishing it with 19 shots, 10 of which were on cage. Syracuse had just nine shots in the first quarter as the Orange fell behind 5-1.

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Sophomore attackman Truitt Sunderland found twine twice, with his second goal being assisted by junior midfielder Charles Balsamo for just his third point of the season. Despite not finishing the game with an assist, Hackett was able to consistently get his hands free against short stick matchups and finished with two goals.

“I actually turned to [offensive coordinator] Kevin [Cassese] and at one point I thought we were going to try to possess a little bit more and not take shots every 12 seconds, but these are good shots,” head coach Lars Tiffany said. “So we were just more aggressive, and we were in attack mode, and Kevin was able to manipulate their slide schemes a little bit and got us in some openings.”

Virginia held its own at the faceoff stripe

Despite Syracuse’s sophomore FOGO John Mullen ranking first in the country in faceoff percentage among FOGO’s with at least 200 faceoffs taken, the ‘Hoos held their own against him on Saturday. Virginia finished the game with a 16-9 advantage.

“He has really fast hands,” Andrew Greenspan said of Mullen. “He likes to get it in and out really fast. He does it at a really high level. So we tried to muck it up in that sense as much as we can. But he’s a great faceoff guy.”

The ‘Hoos had a considerable amount of help from the officials on the X as Syracuse was called for five violations, while Virginia stayed clean at the X. The ‘Hoos beat Syracuse 6-5 at the X in the first half before dominating in the second, winning nine of the second half’s first 11 faceoffs.

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Senior FOGO Anthony Ghobriel, who’s missed Virginia’s previous two games due to an injury, suited up for Saturday’s game before being limited after taking a hit in the first quarter. Sophomore Andrew Greenspan took a season-high 18 faceoffs and won 12 of them, including during a crucial moment with 2:10 remaining in regulation.

Syracuse’s second half start plagued the ‘Hoos

Syracuse started the second half almost identically to Virginia’s first half, scoring four consecutive goals within the first seven minutes. Junior midfielder Michael Leo scored three of Syracuse’s first four goals of the half.

“He was able to finish off what other guys were starting,” Tiffany said of Leo. “[Sam] English is such a handful, the fastest guy on the field — you don’t have six poles so you’re trying to figure out who you’re going to short. Leo even against a pole … was just blowing by us a couple times.”

Tiffany added that Syracuse forced Virginia’s defense to slide more than he wanted during the Orange’s four goal run, which led to Leo’s step down looks.

“Big difference when you give a division 1 shooter like him the ball hands free, time and room at 10 yards, versus on the run, sweeping,” Tiffany said. “So, they got us rotating there and on the other end… just give them credit [when] they fell into a zone.”

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Millon stopped the Orange’s run during the middle of the game with consecutive goals, but that lopsided portion of the matchup hindered the ‘Hoos down the stretch. Sophomore attackman Payton Anderson started his first game of the season on Saturday in relief of Trey Deere, who had scored a combined eight goals in his last two games.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Anderson proved to be a tough matchup for the ‘Hoos and finished the game with two goals.

John Schroter dominated Joey Spallina

While he didn’t finish with a caused turnover or ground ball, junior defender John Schroter continued to show his prowess as one of the most elite defenders in the country on Saturday.

For the second year in a row, John Schroter shut down former No. 1 overall recruit Joey Spallina — as he finished with just one assist and zero goals. Spallina entered Saturday’s game second in assists in the country.

“That’s King Kong, Godzilla contact in the corner right there at the GLE,” Tiffany said. “Talk about two big guys initiating contact and when Spallina did get free, Matt Nunes was able to bail John Schroter out. But it’s a great matchup between those two. They battled in high school and in club games, and now we’re seeing that battle again.”

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Tiffany added that he wanted all of the Cavaliers’ adjacent defenders to shut off their matchups while Schroter was engaged with Spallina, suggesting Spallina’s ability to pass but also Schroter’s coverage capability.

Schroter will likely have his hands full with another elite matchup next week against sophomore attackman Owen Duffy — the reigning ACC Freshman of the Year.

Virginia’s turnovers came at the wrong time

In a matchup that had no shortage of advanced stick work and complicated offensive and defensive strategy, the simple things plagued Virginia. The ‘Hoos turned the ball over four times during the fourth quarter compared to Syracuse’s zero. Syracuse finished the game with an 8-13 edge in the turnover battle, while Virginia caused just five turnovers to the Orange’s 10.

After Syracuse tied the game at 10 with 7:15 left, senior Virginia goalie Matthew Nunes stopped three shots during an over five minute scoring drought for both sides. However, the ‘Hoos had two costly turnovers within two minutes of each other, which led to Hiltz’ go-ahead goal with 2:10 remaining.

Virginia had an opportunity to tie the game after a faceoff win by Greenspan, but Syracuse’s zone defense stifled the ‘Hoos and Millon turned the ball over with 1:09 remaining. Syracuse outshot Virginia 17-5 in the fourth quarter with nine of the Orange’s shots being on cage.

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“Give them credit,” Tiffany said, “we swung the ball to the left side, got it over to the right side, and, ‘Oh, he’s covered, how’d they do that.’ They rotated really well in our last minute [six versus six] possession.”



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