<div dir="ltr">i thought this might be of interest to fellow Riverdalians - some of the new national and local laws that went into effect yesterday.<br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">---------- Forwarded message ---------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername" dir="auto">Jimmy Tarlau</b> <span dir="auto"><<a href="mailto:jimmytarlau@gmail.com">jimmytarlau@gmail.com</a>></span><br>Date: Thu, Jan 2, 2020 at 12:44 PM<br>Subject: New Laws Effective January 1 2020<br>To: Jimmy Tarlau <<a href="mailto:jtarlau@gmail.com">jtarlau@gmail.com</a>><br></div><br><br><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div style="font-size:large"><b style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:107%">Minimum
wage goes from $10.15 an hour to $11 an hour (MD State Law)</span></b><br></div><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div style="font-size:large">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In 2019 Maryland General Assembly passed a
bill that gradually increases the state's minimum wage from $10.10 an hour to
$15 over a period of five years for companies with more than 15 employees
(smaller businesses have six years to get there). The first required increase,
which boosts the rate to <b>$11 for all companies</b>, takes effect Jan. 1. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:107%">New Overtime
Rule (National Regulation)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Hourly workers receive time and a half pay after 40 hours of
work. Professionals, technical employees and managers had previously
been exempted from overtime rules unless they made less than $12.27/hour ($445
a week or $23,600 annually). Starting in
January the threshold for professionals, technical employees and managers who have to be paid
overtime increases to $<b>17.78/hour ($684 weekly or $35,568 annually).</b> This means a lot of low paid managers (e.g.
at fast food restaurants), professional (e.g. reporters at small newspapers), and
technical workers (e.g. at internet companies) will have to be paid premium pay
if they work more than 40 hours a week. This
does not apply to people who are paid as ‘independent contractors’. But there are state and national laws that
prohibit employers from paying people as independent contractors if they should
be really classified as employees.
(Email me if you are in that situation and want some guidance about
whether you’re being incorrectly classified.)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:107%"><br></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:107%">New Law
Affecting Retirement Income (Federal Law)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A part of the huge budget deal recently passed by Congress and
signed into law last month was the Secure Act. This bill makes a number of changes affecting
retirees. A few of the significant
provisions of the law are</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt 0.5in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Increases the age that a required
minimum distribution (RMD) must start from 70½ to 72. Currently, people
reaching 70½ must begin taking RMDs from their Individual Retirement Accounts
(IRAs) and workplace retirement plans. The new rule applies to people who turn
70 1/2 after Dec. 31. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt 0.5in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Repeals the maximum age for making
traditional IRA contributions, which is currently 70½. Workers will now be able
to contribute to their IRAs past this age as long as they have earned income.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt 0.5in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Another provision allows parents to
withdraw up to $5,000 from their individual 401(k) or similar workplace plans
for each new child without incurring a 10 percent additional tax for early
retirement plan distributions. However, you still have to pay ordinary income
taxes on the withdrawal, which has to be done within a year of the birth or
adoption of a child. Parents can later put the money back into their retirement
accounts.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:107%"><br></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:107%">Mandatory
rape kit testing (MD State Law)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This bill requires that law enforcement agencies submit
sexual assault evidence collection kits to forensic laboratories for testing
within 30 days of receipt and calls for kit tests to be processed in a timely
manner. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:107%">Beer
franchise agreements (MD State Law)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Previously, a Maryland brewery that produced 20,000 or fewer
barrels of beer per year had to provide distributors with 180 days' notice
before moving to terminate or renew a franchise agreement. Further, breweries
were obligated to show good cause and provide distributors with 180 days to
rectify deficiencies. This bill cuts the notice to 45 days and relieves sellers
from having to show good cause or give a franchisee an opportunity to fix any
problems. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:107%">Insurers
banned from penalizing organ donors (MD State Law)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Insurers of life, disability and long-term care can no
longer hike premiums, enforce surcharges, cancel policies or flat-out reject
someone from coverage based on their status as an organ donor. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:107%">Reduction
on Fees on Food Trucks (Prince George’s County Law)</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:11pt">Eliminates fees for businesses
apply for food truck licenses.</span><span style="font-size:11pt">
</span><span style="font-size:11pt">Previously food truck owners had to pay $500 if they operated for few
than two months and $3,400 if they operated for more than two months.</span><span style="font-size:11pt"> </span><span style="font-size:11pt">There is still a fee (reduced from $75 to $35)
for inspections performed for the fire department.</span><span style="font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span class="gmail_default" style="font-size:large"><b>Happy New Year Everyone </b>and email me if you have any questions about any of these new laws!</span> </p>
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