When the calendar flips to Oct. 1, Marylanders will see hundreds of new laws go into effect, touching nearly every part of daily life.
These laws impact family life, tenant rights, immigration protections, hospital billing, criminal justice and even traffic safety.
Below is a breakdown of some of the most impactful changes and how they could affect Marylanders.
Family Law and Child Custody
Child Support Adjustments (HB 1191 / SB 548)
Parents who owe child support could see a new deduction when their income is calculated.
When courts calculate child support, they don’t just use a parent’s raw income: they use something called adjusted actual income. That’s the parent’s income after subtracting certain allowable deductions such as taxes, health insurance premiums and more.
Beginning Oct. 1, parents can deduct allowances for children living in their home, even if there is no formal support order for those children.
Because of this, child support obligations may be lower when parents have additional children at home.
Example: A father is in court for child support for one child. He also has two younger children living with him from another relationship. Even if there’s no child support order for those two children, the law would allow him to deduct a certain amount for them from his income before figuring out how much support he owes for the child in the case.
Custody Determinations and Modifications (HB 1191 / SB 548)
Until now, Maryland courts have relied mostly on case law to interpret the “best interests of the child” standard in custody cases.
Starting Oct. 1, judges will have to weigh a statutory list of 16 factors in custody cases, including a child’s stability, safety and relationships with parents and siblings.
Courts must also explain their reasoning in writing or on the record.
The bill also gives courts explicit authority to modify an existing custody or visitation order if:
– There is a material change in circumstances since the original order that affects the child’s needs or a parent’s ability to meet those needs
– The modification would be in the best interest of the child.
Also, a parent’s relocation that makes the existing custody setup impractical may itself count as a material change.
In a goal to make custody decisions less ambiguous, starting Oct. 1, judges will weigh a statutory list of factors, including the child’s stability, relationship with each parent, exposure to conflict and the ability of parents to cooperate.
As such, parents and lawyers will have more predictability, since everyone can see in statute exactly what courts must consider.
Wes Moore and his cronies need to be all voted out. Speed camera finds going up but yet they have illegal Haitians that don’t know how to read given a drivers license and no auto insurance so what’s up with that shit. Still groups handing out money to these Haitians that’s what nonprofits do instead of Americans getting help it’s all a bunch of shit what the govt does. When is ice coming to this state and carry them all out.
Very well said!!!