July 1 Brings Broad Policy Shifts Across VA, MD, and D.C.

July 1 kicks off a wide wave of new laws across Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., covering topics from Virginia’s law on law‑enforcement masks and cooperation with ICE to protections for immigrant workers and automatic sealing of many low‑level criminal records; Virginia’s assault‑weapons ban faces a court injunction, and new speed‑control devices will be mandatory for drivers who reach 100 mph. Other changes include contraception coverage, renter‑payment protections, Maryland’s bell‑to‑bell school cellphone policy by 2027–28, free menstrual products on college campuses, cocktails‑to‑go in Baltimore County, civically engaged excused absences for students, a racehorse‑slaughter ban, and lottery‑debt withholding; D.C. raises the minimum wage to $18.40 with tipped‑wage adjustments.