Starting tomorrow, there will be a lot of new ways to break the law in the Free State, as most of the laws passed by the General Assembly during their spring session go in to effect. Here is the 117 page list of laws that will go into effect tomorrow, courtesy of the Maryland Department of Legislative Services. Don’t want to look through all those pages? Well, there are three big ones:
- A ban on texting while driving, which AAA is trying to take nationwide.
- Stiffer DUI penalties, which as Don Markus reports in The (Baltimore ) Sun reports, are being criticized for providing only punishment, not treatment.
- Tougher domestic violence laws.
And is posting a really stupid Facebook poll breaking the law? In one case, maybe. But the Secret Service is investigating a poll on Facebook asking if President Barack Obama should be assassinated. According to the Los Angeles Times‘ David G. Savage, threatening the president’s life is a crime. The options were ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ ‘maybe’ and ‘if he cuts my health care,’ according to The Huffington Post.
Meanwhile, Metro is trying to deter lawbreakers, installing surveillance cameras on subway cars, The Washington Post’s James Hohmann reports. A $27.8 million Department of Homeland Security Grant is paying for the cameras, which could be the beginning of a system-wide network.
Quick Hits
- A student at Miami University in Ohio has died from H1N1.
- Say goodbye to wine as binge drinking comes to Italy, Reuters reports.
- The best-selling book on campuses nationwide this month? Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.