Washington, D.C

New DC area laws go into effect Jan. 1, 2024: minimum wage increases, plastic bag bans, health care

Published

2 years ago

January 1, 2024

Press Room

New DC area laws go into effect Jan. 1, 2024: minimum wage increases, plastic bag bans, health care

WASHINGTON – New year – new laws.

Beginning January 1, 2024, several new laws went into effect across the Washington, D.C. area.

While there are no significant new laws in the District itself, several in Maryland and Virginia will cause notable change throughout the metro region.

NEW MARYLAND LAWS 2024

MINIMUM WAGES

Maryland has raised minimum wages for workers to $15 an hour. The Fair Wage Act of 2023 was signed into law by Maryland Governor Wes Moore in April of last year. The new law will increase wages for approximately 163,000 workers.

Maryland minimum wage increases to $15

Maryland has raised minimum wages for workers to $15 an hour.

PLASTIC BAG BANS

Businesses in Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties, and in Frederick, Maryland, will no longer be permitted to provide single-use plastic bags at the point of sale. Customers are encouraged to bring reusable bags with them to shop.

The ban was enacted to help protect local waterways and marine life, reduce plastic pollution and litter, and promote reusable bags. Several other areas of Maryland, like Baltimore County, already have plastic bag bans in place.

READ MORE: New plastic bag fee heading to Prince George’s County

Plastic bag ban starts in parts of Maryland

Businesses in Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties, and in Frederick, Maryland, will no longer be permitted to provide single-use plastic bags at the point of sale.

TRANS HEALTH EQUITY ACT

Maryland’s Medicaid program is now required to cover medically necessary gender-affirming care without discrimination.

According to the legislation posted online, “the Maryland Medical Assistance Program to provide gender-affirming treatment in a nondiscriminatory manner; requiring that the gender-affirming treatment be assessed according to nondiscriminatory criteria that are consistent with current clinical standards; prohibiting the issuance of an adverse benefit determination related to gender-affirming treatment unless a certain experienced health care provider has reviewed and confirmed the appropriateness of the determination; etc.”

NEW VIRGINIA LAWS 2024

COUNSELING COMPACT

The legislation authorizes Virginia to become a signatory to the Counseling Compact, which allows eligible licensed professional counselors to practice in other Compact member states – as long as they are licensed in at least one of the member states. Virginia is the 20th state to join the Counseling Compact.

HEALTH CARE PROVIDER PANELS

The new law aims to ensure a smoother transition and continuity of care for patients.

Insurance carriers must now inform policyholders if their current healthcare provider, or one they’ve seen in the past six months, is no longer part of the carrier’s network.

If your healthcare provider is removed from the insurance network, you have the right to continue receiving care from them for at least 90 days after their removal.

READ MORE: New Virginia laws going into effect on January 1, 2024

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Washington, D.C

Trae Stephens: Silicon Valley and Washington Must Build Together

Published

11 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Trae Stephens: Silicon Valley and Washington Must Build Together

February 27, 2026, was a flash point in the cold war between Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C.

The AI giant Anthropic had drawn a red line with the Pentagon, forbidding the military from using its product for autonomous weapons or the mass surveillance of Americans. The Pentagon retaliated by ending their contract and designating Anthropic a supply-chain risk. Anthropic has since sued to overturn this designation.

The feud-turned-legal battle is an acute example of a long-festering dynamic: technologists who want control over the use of their creations and who do not trust the government to understand or regulate their products, and policymakers wary of an unelected tech oligarchy that has become its own power center in American society.

Trae Stephens is no stranger to this dynamic.

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Washington, D.C

North Dakota National Guard Being Sent to D.C.

Published

24 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

North Dakota National Guard Being Sent to D.C.

(Photo courtesy of North Dakota National Guard. via the North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota will send 60 National Guard members to Washington, D.C., starting in April, for an estimated three months to help police the city.

The move is in support of President Donald Trump’s August executive order declaring an emergency in D.C. The president said assistance from states is necessary to address what he described as rampant crime in the nation’s capital.

“Safeguarding the citizens, federal workers and elected leaders in our nation’s capital is a matter of national security, and we appreciate these Soldiers volunteering for this important mission,” Gov. Kelly Armstrong said.

Most of the 60 North Dakota members will come from the 131st Military Police Battalion, based in Bismarck, according to the announcement.

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Washington, D.C

Thousands turn out – again – as third 'No Kings' rallies take over Maryland streets

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Thousands turn out – again – as third 'No Kings' rallies take over Maryland streets

Thousands turned out at the dozens of No Kings rallies scattered across Maryland, part of the millions expected across the country for the third such event. In Maryland, turnout was particularly heavy in Hagerstown, near a proposed ICE detention facility.

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