ASSAULT RIFLE BAN UPHELD: A federal appeals court upheld Maryland’s ban on assault rifles, concluding that the military-style guns outlawed by the measure are not entitled to protection under the Second Amendment.The 10-4 ruling, issued by the entire Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, reverses a decision by a smaller panel of judges from the court last year that called the law’s constitutionality into question, Ian Duncan reports in the Sun.
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Attorney General Brian E. Frosh hailed what he called the 4th Circuit’s “common-sense decision.” “Military(-style) weapons are not protected by the Second Amendment,” Frosh said. “It’s a very strong decision in that respect.” Steve Lash writes the story for the Daily Record.
OT ELIGIBILITY: A bill that would make 80,000 more salaried employees in Maryland eligible for overtime pay is not sitting well with business and nonprofit groups, whose salaried employees often work more than 40 hours a week. But the bill’s sponsor says companies have avoided paying overtime for decades by unfairly classifying hourly workers as salaried employees. The bill, HB665, would increase the salary cap for white-collar and service workers currently exempt from overtime pay to $47,476 up from $23,660, Daniel Menefee of MarylandReporter.com reports.