New Maryland laws effective October 1, 2015

[kwillia]

•The speed limit on highways can be raised from 65 to 70 on a case-by-case basis. That’s happening first on I-68 in western Maryland. The State Highway Administration says it will study whether the speed limit can be safely raised in other locations.

•You can leave your car unattended and running for up to five minutes if it has a remote ignition system or if it’s on private property and locked.

•Any driver accused in a deadly crash and found to have a blood alcohol content above the legal limit will have their license suspended for at least six months. It used to be 45 days.

•Maryland State Police is required to develop an alert program to find missing drivers after hit-and-runs that result in serious injury.

•Other new state laws involve family issues, treatment of heroin overdoses, and new protections for interns.

•Couples are no longer required to have a one-year separation to get a divorce, if they don’t have any minor children in common and reach a settlement agreement that resolves issues such as alimony and distribution of property.

•Maryland social service agencies can keep children in foster care if there is severe abuse by biological parents, or if parents do not protect their kids from serious mistreatment.

•It’s easier to get naloxone, which reverses the effect of a heroin overdose, without a prescription.

•People with certain nonviolent misdemeanor criminal records will have their records blocked from public view under certain conditions after three years. The law is aimed at helping people with criminal records get jobs. It applies to people who have served their sentences, including probation and parole, and who have maintained clean records.

•People applying to be correctional officers are required to pass a polygraph exam.

•State bans on sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace are now extended to interns.
http://wtop.com/maryland/2015/09/new-laws-take-effect-in-maryland-on-thursday/

 

[steppinthrax]

•The speed limit on highways can be raised from 65 to 70 on a case-by-case basis. That’s happening first on I-68 in western Maryland. The State Highway Administration says it will study whether the speed limit can be safely raised in other locations.

•You can leave your car unattended and running for up to five minutes if it has a remote ignition system or if it’s on private property and locked.

•It’s easier to get naloxone, which reverses the effect of a heroin overdose, without a prescription.

•People with certain nonviolent misdemeanor criminal records will have their records blocked from public view under certain conditions after three years. The law is aimed at helping people with criminal records get jobs. It applies to people who have served their sentences, including probation and parole, and who have maintained clean records.

http://wtop.com/maryland/2015/09/new-laws-take-effect-in-maryland-on-thursday/

I have listed the one's I find interesting.

1. I have had a remote car starter in my old Saturn and my current Toyota Camry. I've had a remote car starter in my cars since 2002 or do. During winter months I've left my car running unattended almost every morning????

2. There was a news story about how a woman called all the CVS in her area to get a dose of naloxone and no one knew what it was, one wanted a Rx and the other didn't have any....

3. I don't agree with that last one. The MD courts already block rental judgement and other small things go away after a few years. Now they are blocking this. How can we perform proper investigations on people!!!!!!

 

[frequentflier]

I have listed the one's I find interesting.

1. I have had a remote car starter in my old Saturn and my current Toyota Camry. I've had a remote car starter in my cars since 2002 or do. During winter months I've left my car running unattended almost every morning????

2. There was a news story about how a woman called all the CVS in her area to get a dose of naloxone and no one knew what it was, one wanted a Rx and the other didn't have any....

3. I don't agree with that last one. The MD courts already block rental judgement and other small things go away after a few years. Now they are blocking this. How can we perform proper investigations on people!!!!!!

 

[kwillia]

I have listed the one's I find interesting.

1. I have had a remote car starter in my old Saturn and my current Toyota Camry. I've had a remote car starter in my cars since 2002 or do. During winter months I've left my car running unattended almost every morning???? Yeah, technically you could have been ticketed if a cop spotted your car unattended.

2. There was a news story about how a woman called all the CVS in her area to get a dose of naloxone and no one knew what it was, one wanted a Rx and the other didn't have any.... Yeah, this seems to be the first attempt of Maryland legally defining accessibility of that drug.

3. I don't agree with that last one. The MD courts already block rental judgement and other small things go away after a few years. Now they are blocking this. How can we perform proper investigations on people!!!!!! Yeah, but it does state "under certain conditions after three years" "It applies to people who have served their sentences, including probation and parole, and who have maintained clean records." so it does sound like its trying to help the schmuck who did something stupid, paid his debt to society and learned from it wanting a law-abiding way of earning a living. I can't say I can disagree with it if due diligence is truly done to ensure those conditions are met.

...

 

[steppinthrax]

...

1. There are all kind of little stupid laws like this that many don't know about that many break all the time and that many never get ticketed/arrested etc.... Example, license plate frames as well as hang-tags are illegal (while driving). Hang-tags must be removed before driving. There was a guy who got a ticket for a frame in Maryland years ago.

2. If you follow corporations, CVS has been (for a number of years) trying to convert themselves from a "convenient store" to a healthcare provider/industry. They got rid of cigarettes a year or so ago (billion dollar sales item). I wouldn't be surprised if they've been lobbing with state and fed to offer many of these services Rx free. http://www.tennessean.com/story/mon...-sell-naloxone-without-prescription/73036660/

3. I have rental property. Just my knowledge of dealing with people, no one ever changes!!!!!!!

 

[kwillia]

3. I have rental property. Just my knowledge of dealing with people, no one ever changes!!!!!!!

I do tend to agree with you and am willing to seek death penalty for repeat offenders of most crap, but my sister is a die-hard liberal, rehab-loving empathizer and keeps telling me I'm too negative and judgmental...

 

[glhs837]

You see the remote start thing rear it's head in subdivisions and neighborhoods, police wouldn't really care, but bozos complain.

 

[steppinthrax]

You see the remote start thing rear it's head in subdivisions and neighborhoods, police wouldn't really care, but bozos complain.

Well almost every vehicle you purchase has remote one another in it. I guess I'm not sure why it was illegal in the first place. Maybe some idiot company had a early version of remote start in the 70's and the car popped in reverse and ran over a bunch of people?

 

[lucky_bee]

You see the remote start thing rear it's head in subdivisions and neighborhoods, police wouldn't really care, but bozos complain.

Seriously? huh. :shrug:

I could see how a select few might abuse them, but I'm from CT and it's practically mandatory to have one without a garage to park in! Had one on all my cars until recently. Down here, it's more of a luxury item vs. a true necessity like up north.

 

[glhs837]

I think it actually wasn't originally written to address remote start cars. It was intended to address people just starting their cars and leaving them to warm up. Then you are faced with a risk of theft and kids tragically hopping in and causing damage/injury. But when remote start became more prevalent, that old law was applied when people complained about running cars. I mentioned subdivisions as being the most likely place to see this sort of complaint because subdivisions are more likely to harbor the "I am my brothers keeper" mentality. So the soccer mom see's her kids being killed by the runaway unattended car, while the earth mother see's all the trees being killed by that idling pollution machine. And Nosy Nat the Busybody just see a reason to bit$% and moan.

 

[General Lee]

I have listed the one's I find interesting.

1. I have had a remote car starter in my old Saturn and my current Toyota Camry. I've had a remote car starter in my cars since 2002 or do. During winter months I've left my car running unattended almost every morning????

After market remote starting systems (maybe not all) do not provide automatic shutdown when vehicle is put into gear without the key. This is an anti-theft device. Factory installed remote starts do. Its cool they now allow it on private property. But the ones that do it in public should have no pity bestowed upon them when their car/truck is stolen because they wanted to keep it running.

 

[General Lee]

police wouldn't really care, but bozos complain.

Yes they do care. With everything else they could be doing, now you wanna report your car stolen because you left it running. Its like leaving your valuables in plain view inside the car. Its begging to be stolen.

 

[rhenderson]

The law was originally established to dissuade drivers from leaving their car running with no one behind the wheel while they just ran into the store "just to pick up a (whatever). Car transmissions would slip out of park and go wherever. Also, leaving cars running with the keys in and the doors unlocked - because they did not have a remote starter and the keys were needed to keep the car running promoted car theft. Since there was a law on the books against leaving a car running unattended owners could be charged for it under any circumstances. After market remote starters did not become widely available at a reasonable cost until a few decades ago. Factory installed remotes starters have been around even less time. Although the remote starters do not require the keys to be left in the car and shut off the engine when the vehicle shifts into gear without the key in the ignition, the letter and interpretation of the law against leaving a running vehicle still applied. This just updates the law to accommodate current technologies and public practices.

 

[PrchJrkr]

For convenience, I'll leave my van running and set the alarm when dashing into the store for a minute.

 

[lucky_bee]

After market remote starting systems (maybe not all) do not provide automatic shutdown when vehicle is put into gear without the key. This is an anti-theft device. Factory installed remote starts do. Its cool they now allow it on private property. But the ones that do it in public should have no pity bestowed upon them when their car/truck is stolen because they wanted to keep it running.

:shrug: all the after-market car starters I've seen automatically shut off if you touch either the brakes or try putting it into gear....without the key in the ignition.

 

[glhs837]

Yes they do care. With everything else they could be doing, now you wanna report your car stolen because you left it running. Its like leaving your valuables in plain view inside the car. Its begging to be stolen.

You are telling me police going down the road and seeing a car running with no one in it in a private driveway would care enough to stop, and go cite the owner? Without a citizen complaint to spark the visit? Pretty sure that happens with less frequency than jaywalking tickets.

 

[General Lee]

You are telling me police going down the road and seeing a car running with no one in it in a private driveway would care enough to stop, and go cite the owner? Without a citizen complaint to spark the visit? Pretty sure that happens with less frequency than jaywalking tickets.

It happens from time to time. I know a few just in my circle of friends that its happened to.

 

[BernieP]

I have listed the one's I find interesting.

1. I have had a remote car starter in my old Saturn and my current Toyota Camry. I've had a remote car starter in my cars since 2002 or do. During winter months I've left my car running unattended almost every morning????

2. There was a news story about how a woman called all the CVS in her area to get a dose of naloxone and no one knew what it was, one wanted a Rx and the other didn't have any....

3. I don't agree with that last one. The MD courts already block rental judgement and other small things go away after a few years. Now they are blocking this. How can we perform proper investigations on people!!!!!!

1. You can be fined for leaving an unattended vehicle running, even if it's in your driveway under the current law. So if you were not in your car while it was defrosting in the winter an officer passing by could ticket you.
Sounds like this is a minor relief for those with a remote start.

2. They can change the law all they want, what's needed is better education, not just the public but the pharmacies.

3. The key word is public, meaning the Case Search database will not contain nonviolent misdemeanor criminal records, traffic offenses, CDS possession, etc.
Law enforcement will have access to the complete record, just not every busy body.

 

[glhs837]

But they wouldn't know if that was triggered by a complaint, would they?

 

[Hodr]

•People applying to be correctional officers are required to pass a polygraph exam.

http://wtop.com/maryland/2015/09/new-laws-take-effect-in-maryland-on-thursday/

Good to know the state is endorsing witchcraft and superstition as a means of vetting potential correctional officers. I wonder if they also consult an astrologist prior to hiring. Maybe they could start employing the use of Ouija boards to find out who is stealing the Splenda from the breakroom.