Md. Bill Would Decriminalize Abandoned Fridges
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) --A Maryland state delegate wants to decriminalize the act of abandoning a refrigerator.
The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing Thursday on Washington County Republican Neil Parrott's bill.
The current law carries a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and a $100 fine. It stems from concerns about children suffocating inside discarded refrigerators.
Parrott says the law is outdated because Congress has mandated since 1956 that all refrigerators sold across state lines must have an inside door release.
His bill would make abandoning a refrigerator a civil offense with a maximum fine of $5,000.
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