Anne Arundel County lawmakers were working Friday to find a compromise on a bill to ban minors from soliciting for charity along roadsides.
The bill unanimously passed by the House last week called for the state to restrict panhandling to people 18 years old and older. But the bill approved by the Senate Friday morning would give the Anne Arundel County Council the responsibility to set age restrictions for roadside soliciting.
Del. John Leopold, the Anne Arundel Republican who was one of the primary supporters of the ban on minors, said the council will likely end up passing its own law even though council members and County Executive Janet Owens had supported the state ban.
State lawmakers have until Monday to settle on a bill before the General Assembly adjourns for the year.
Council Chairman Ed Reilly said state legislation would give the council the freedom to “tailor any ban specifically to Anne Arundel County.”
“It’s a public safety issue,” he said. “It’s about whether we should allow residents to move around between moving vehicles on the roads.”
Reilly said council members would consider either a ban on minors or the creation of a licensing program for charity groups. But the idea of licensing panhandlers has some council members worried about possible liability for the county. Reilly said he was not aware of any residents being injured or killed in panhandling accidents.
Other jurisdictions already have passed complete bans on panhandling including Carroll, Charles, Frederick, Harford and Washington counties. Prince George’s County prohibits anyone younger than 15 from panhandling.
