The new laws taking effect this week impact everything from smoke alarms to handicap placards to e-cigarettes.
By Elizabeth Janney, Patch Staff | | Updated

From new names on rest areas to snowmobiles on one county’s highways, some Maryland laws took effect on Monday, Oct. 1, that could make a noticeable difference. Other new laws are subtler, rooted in research, such as the Maryland Health Care Commission’s task to look at whether health care providers could access a patient’s prescription history or the mandate that employers with at least 50 employees submit a survey about cases of sexual harassment in the workplace. Here’s a sample of the laws that took effect Oct. 1, 2018.
Roads And Motor Vehicles
- The State Highway Administration can sell naming rights of public rest areas to private entities.
- The Maryland Transportation Authority is renaming the Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge. It will now be called the Harry W. Nice/Thomas “Mac” Middleton Bridge.
- Snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles are allowed on parts of some highways in Allegany County at 25 mph.
- Disability placards expire when someone dies and can be issued to nonresidents in Maryland for medical treatment.
- Some people with a learner’s permit can take a provisional driver’s license test sooner than before.
- The Motor Vehicle Administration can provide birth certificate copies if they are on record with the Maryland Department of Health.
- Parking a disabled, inoperable or immobilized vehicle on a public street for more than seven days is now prohibited in Washington County.
- Non airport taxicab drivers cannot solicit passengers at the airport; they may go to a parking lot.
Corrections/Law Enforcement
- Prisons are required to offer feminine hygiene products for menstruation.
- Correctional facilities must have care for pregnant inmates and offer child placement assistance.
- It is now a crime for law enforcement to have sex with a person in custody.
- The Commission to Restore Trust in Policing is required to submit a report by Dec. 31, 2019, after reviewing the audits of the Baltimore City Police Department and its Gun Trace Task Force.
There is more: