As Marylanders flip the calendars to October, a host of new laws take effect Monday in the Old Line State.
Here’s a quick rundown of what’s new:
- “Phylicia’s Law” requires state and city officials to publish a list of missing children. It’s named after Phylicia Barnes, a North Carolina teen whose body was found after she went missing in Baltimore.
- People forced to leave their jobs because of the threat of violence are now eligible for unemployment insurance benefits.
- Judges must now report whether domestic violence offenders have a “domestically related relationship” with their victims. Police will put them on a list to closely monitor them.
- A weight exemption for child safety seat laws is revoked. Now, kids under the age of 8 must be in a safety seat unless they're 4'9" or taller. Before, kids were exempt if they weighed more than 65 pounds.
- Employers are not allowed to ask employees or applicants for their user names or passwords for personal social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
- Gambling on fantasy sports is allowed, as it’s exempt from state gambling prohibitions.
- Riders of scooters and mopeds must wear helmets and eye protection. Their vehicles must now be titled and insured just like cars.
