New Laws in Maryland Starting July 1

In addition to the minimum wage increase, several new laws are in effect as of July 1st, 2022 in the state of Maryland. These new laws affect sales, taxes, schools, abortion rights, and hunting.  They can be seen below, courtesy of Fox 5 DC (link shows new laws in D.C. and Virginia as well):

Sales

• Several items sold in Maryland will be exempt from the sales and use tax. These include diapers, diaper rash cream, baby wipes, baby bottles, baby bottle nipples, infant car seats, oral hygiene products, thermometers, pulse oximeters, blood pressure monitors, respirators, and certain diabetic care products.
• A new law will alter the definition of “digital product” for purposes of the application of the sales and use tax to exclude certain products where the purchaser has a certain property interest and certain types of computer software.

Taxes

• A new law will allow a subtraction modification under the Maryland income tax for individuals who are at least 55 years old for the first $15,000 of income from a certain employee retirement system that is attributable to the individual’s employment as a public safety employee.
• A bill will establish a tax credit for most retired Marylanders. The credit will be worth up to $1,000 for an individual and $1,750 for a married couple. To qualify, residents must be at least 65 and their federal adjusted gross income may not exceed $100,000 as an individual or $150,000 as a married couple. In some cases, retirees may pay no state income tax.
• The Work Opportunity Tax Credit provides incentives to employers and businesses that hire and retain workers from underserved communities with longstanding obstacles to entering the workforce. Targeted groups for the credit include individuals who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, veterans, residents of empowerment zones or rural renewal counties, formerly incarcerated individuals, those who have been convicted of a felony, individuals experiencing long-term unemployment, supplemental Social Security income recipients, individuals who receive SNAP benefits, and those with mental or physical disabilities.
• A law will establish the Homeowner Protection Program in the Department of Assessments and Taxation for the purpose of diverting vulnerable homeowners from the private tax lien sale process into an alternative program with the intent of minimizing tax collection costs to owners, assisting owners to pay their taxes, and allowing owners to remain in their homes.
• A law will create a Medium–Duty and Heavy–Duty Zero–Emission Vehicle Grant Program for certain vehicles and equipment to be administered by the Maryland Energy Administration. The bill would also lower the vehicle excise tax credit for the purchase of certain electric vehicles from $63,000 to $50,000.

Schools

• A new law will require local school systems to provide equivalent access to digital tools for students with disabilities, including the development, purchase, and provision of certain digital tools that are directly connected to student instruction.
• The Elijah Gorham Act will alter the requirements for an automated external defibrillator program in public middle and high schools. The law will also require middle schools and high schools to develop venue specific emergency action plans for the operation and use of automatic external defibrillators, heat acclimatization, and coordination of care for other emergent injuries and severe weather for outdoor facilities.
• A law will prohibit county boards of education and certain schools and prekindergarten programs from taking certain discriminatory actions because of a person’s race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.
• A new law will require each county board of education to adopt an attendance policy for public school students that treats an absence due to a student’s behavioral health needs the same as an absence due to illness or another somatic health need; and requiring a public school to provide information to a student or the student’s parent or guardian about school or community behavioral health resources that are available to the student.
• A law will prohibit certain public agencies from using seclusion or physical restraint as a behavioral health intervention for a student.
• The Purple Star Schools Program will recognize public schools that provide strong services and support for military–connected students and their families when, as a result of military service, a military–connected student transfers schools.
• The Grant Program to Reduce and Compost School Waste will require county boards of education and public schools to develop and implement programs for reducing food waste and to establish composting of pre– and post–consumer waste.

Abortion Rights Expansion

• The Abortion Care Access Act will allow nurse practitioners, midwives, and other non-physician medical professionals to perform abortions in Maryland. The bill includes $3.5 million a year to train medical professionals in safely performing abortions. The measure will also require most health insurance plans to cover abortions at no cost to patients.

Hunting

• A new law will allow Sunday hunting in Maryland under certain circumstances.
• Landowners can grant individual’s hunting access to their properties on a limited basis, provided that the individual consents to adhere to every law, observe every safety precaution and practice, observe all property boundaries, take every precaution against fire, and assume all responsibility and liability for the individual’s safety and property while hunting on the landowner’s real property