More than 400 pieces of legislation are set to take effect today, July 1, 2024. Legislation taking effect on this date tends to be more fiscal related to coincide with the beginning of the fiscal year, but could also focus on important policy matters.
Several of the Governor’s initiatives take effect today including the Families Serve Act of 2024 and the Time to Serve Act of 2024. Other Governor’s initiatives taking effect focus on mental health, housing and tackling childhood poverty.
Among new health laws that take effect Monday, one of the more controversial is HB 576, which lets circuit courts order a specified mental health treatment regimen for someone with severe and persistent mental health needs — potentially without their consent.
Backers of the legislation — including Gov. Wes Moore’s chief legislative officer Eric Luedtke, who spoke of a brother with schizoaffective disorder in his testimony in support of the bill — say it’s devastating to watch a loved one with severe mental illness cycle in and out of hospitals due to symptoms of their severe mental health needs. But some disability rights and mental health advocates say that assisted outpatient treatment programs leave out the voices of those with mental health needs and prioritizes the concerns of the family instead.
The ENOUGH Act — for Engaging Neighborhoods, Organizations, Unions, Governments and Households — aims to tackle the “root causes” of childhood poverty by providing grant funding to organizations and community leaders in certain low-income areas to address the factors that lead to high rates of childhood poverty in those regions.
The administration also saw passage of HB 599, part of its three-pronged housing package in this year’s legislative session. The bill creates the Maryland Community Investment Corp., a state entity that will make loans or investments aimed at developing and improving low-income communities.
The other prongs of the housing package will take effect later. The Renters’ Rights and Stabilization Act, which takes effect in October, creates an Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs in the Department of Housing and Community Development and expands some renters’ rights; the Housing Expansion and Affordability Act, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2025, will limit the ability of local jurisdictions to block modular or manufactured homes or limit affordable housing in single-family residential zones.
A Maryland Matters article summarizes several other bills taking effect and a complete list of all the bills can be found here.
