WASHINGTON — Beginning Saturday, Virginians will be able to buy Everclear, the minimum wage rises in D.C. and Maryland, and schools in Maryland will have to keep the drug-overdose treatment naloxone on hand.
Virginia will increase the pay of sheriff’s deputies and teachers. And drivers in the state could face a $100 fine for driving too slowly in the left lane.
Maryland lawmakers also tackled ethics and added measures intended to protect taxpayers from fraud.
Here are some of the change in state laws that kick in on July 1.
D.C.
The minimum wage in the District will tick up to $12.50 — a dollar increase from the current wage. A law passed last year will increase the minimum wage to $15 by 2020. The law calls for incremental increases in the meantime.
The minimum wage for workers who rely on tips — like servers — will rise to $5 by 2020. This year, tipped workers will earn a minimum $3.33 per hour.
Maryland
The minimum wage will also increase in Maryland from $8.75 to $9.25. A law passed in 2014 called for incremental increases with the goal of hitting $10.10 per hour in 2018. At the time the law was passed, the state’s minimum wage was just $7.25.
Additionally, lawmakers agreed to allow breweries to sell up to 2,000 barrels of a beer a year in an effort to secure a Guinness brewery in Baltimore County.
Brewers will also be able to buy another 1,000 barrels from distributors to sell in their taprooms. New breweries will have to close at 10 p.m., but existing breweries can maintain their hours.
Virginia
Drivers could pay a $100 fine if they are caught dawdling in the left lane, blocking faster-moving traffic. Virginia law requires motorists to drive in the right lane — the left lane is for passing — but the state never had a penalty associated with the violation.
Lawmakers originally proposed a $250 fine, but amended the bills at Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s request.
Virginia lawmakers also passed a laws intended to address the growing opioid crisis. The laws would allow local health departments to establish a needle exchange program and gives community organizations the ability to dispense the overdose treatment drug naloxone.
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