The legislature passed many new laws that will take effect on October 1, 2026. Here are some of the interesting ones.

Maryland became the first state to enact a surveillance pricing ban. This prohibits food retailers and delivery services from using consumers' personal data to increase prices for specific individual. For example, if your grocery store knows you buy Cheerios every week, they cannot increase the price just for you. The law applies to large retailers. This is an important law to protect consumers and expect other states to follow.

Maryland also passed the Short-Term Rental Safety Act. This requires short term rentals to have smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers, and emergency safety information. It also requires inspections and reports to be filed with the State Fire Marshal.

A new law seeking to prevent gun violence will require licensed firearm dealers to notify state police within 24 hours if they know about certain crimes or security features being compromised. Another law will require the ignition interlock for individuals who have their license suspended or revoked due to violations of alcohol restrictions.

I will report on other new laws when it gets closer to October 1st.