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Politics & Government

POLL: Should Curbside Solicitation Be Banned Without a Permit

While panhandling in Montgomery County is legal, the concern over panhandlers creating unsafe road conditions has risen.

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), called on the Maryland State Legislature to draft a bill allowing the county the ability to ban curbside solicitation without a permit in Montgomery County, and Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Silver Spring) obliged. While panhandling in Montgomery County is legal, the concern over panhandlers creating unsafe road conditions has risen.

In Silver Spring, at the intersections of 16th Street and Georgia Avenue, Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street, and Georgia Avenue and Randolph Road, panhandlers wander up and down the street asking for assistance. 

Leggett's proposal for a permit system pushes to control regulation of panhandling by tracking permit holders and educating them on the rules. Patch wants to know what you think about this legislative strategy aimed at controlling curbside solicitation. 

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