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WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - New laws will take effect in Washington, D.C. Maryland and Virginia on Monday, July 1.
In the District, the hourly minimum wage will rise to $14, and tipped workers will make at least $4.45 an hour. Employers will make up the difference if tips fall short of $14 per hour. DC's minimum wage will rise to $15 next year and increase with inflation afterward.
District inspectors will also start fining restaurants $100 to $800 for using plastic straws, depending on repeat offenses. Businesses are allowed to keep a small stock of plastic straws for customers with disabilities.
In Maryland, schools will be prohibited from entering into nondisclosure agreements involving sexual misconduct by school employees, under one of the new laws. Several states have made similar laws in recent years to stop what supporters of the measure often refer to as "passing the trash."
Maryland also will be able to create a review board on prescription drug costs. The five board members haven't been named yet.
Another new law is designed to protect oysters by putting five sanctuaries permanently into the law.
In Virginia, one of the biggest items that passed during the legislative session earlier this year was a measure that ends the suspension of driver's licenses of people with unpaid court debt. The Department of Motor Vehicles said it sent 500,000 letters to Virginia residents with suspended licenses advising them how to get their license back starting July 1.
Other notable new laws going into effect include an increase in the age limit to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21, looser restrictions on happy hour advertising, and a $4 increase on mandatory car-safety inspections.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.