Consumer Protection
Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Title Insurance - Title Insurers and Title Insurance Producers - Regulation and [HB-1470]
[Insurance ]
Providing that a title insurance producer independent contractor who provides specified services that may result in issuance of a title insurance contract by or on behalf of a title insurance producer is not required to file a specified fidelity bond, surety bond, or letter of credit with the Maryland Insurance Commissioner under specified circumstances.
Sponsored by: Rep. Warren E. Miller
Approved By The Governor on 05/20/2010
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Gettr Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Health Insurance - Nonparticipating Providers - Disclosure of Status and [HB-1468]
[Healthcare ]
[Insurance ]
[Consumer Protection ]
[Public Health ]
Requiring nonparticipating health care providers to disclose to enrollees covered by health insurance carriers with which the nonparticipating health care providers do not have a contractual relationship specified information in a specified manner under specified circumstances; requiring the disclosure to be provided to an enrollee at a specified time in a specified manner, to be signed in a specified manner, and to be maintained in a specified manner; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. Eric M Bromwell
Hearing 3/23 At 1:00 P.m. on 03/10/2010
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Maryland 2010 Regular Session
People's Insurance Counsel Division in the Office of the Attorney General - [HB-144]
[Insurance ]
Repealing the People's Insurance Counsel Division in the Office of the Attorney General and provisions of law relating to the Division; and requiring that all equipment and other assets of the Division be transferred to the Maryland Insurance Administration on July 1, 2010.
Sponsored by: Rep. Susan L.M. Aumann
Unfavorable Report By Economic Matters on 03/16/2010
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Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Commissioner of Financial Regulation - Financial Education Resources [HB-1400]
[Finance ]
[Consumer Protection ]
[Education ]
Requiring the office of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation to serve as a clearinghouse for information on financial education resources, services, and programs available to residents of the State; authorizing the Commissioner to include on the Commissioner's website specified information on financial education, resources, services, and programs and links to the websites of specified other state or federal agencies and specified nonprofit organizations; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. Dana M Stein
Re-referred Finance on 04/12/2010
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Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Residential Mortgage Loans - Required Notice of Housing Counseling Programs and [HB-1399]
[Housing ]
[Consumer Protection ]
[Real Estate ]
[Community Development ]
[Funding ]
Requiring a lender, under specified circumstances, to provide to a borrower a specified written notice regarding home buyer education or housing counseling in connection with specified mortgage loans; requiring the Department of Housing and Community Development to provide and maintain specified information; prohibiting a lender from closing on a mortgage loan unless the lender has provided the borrower with the required notice; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. Dana M Stein
Approved By The Governor on 05/20/2010
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Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Disclosure of Health Premium Expenditures Act [HB-1386]
[Healthcare ]
[Insurance ]
[Consumer Protection ]
Requiring health insurance carriers to disclose specified information about the distribution of premium dollars in each statement of benefits provided to enrollees; requiring health insurance carriers to disclose in their enrollment sales materials specified aggregate loss ratios for specified health benefit plans; requiring the disclosure of aggregate loss ratios to be in the form that the Maryland Insurance Commissioner establishes and adopts by regulation; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. Heather R Mizeur
Unfavorable Report By Health And Government Operations Withdrawn on 03/26/2010
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Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Public Service Commission - Customer Education on Customer Choice [HB-1372]
[Consumer Protection ]
[Public Safety ]
[Telecommunications ]
[Technology and Innovation ]
[Energy ]
Requiring the Public Service Commission to educate consumers about customer service choice in accordance with a provision of law; requiring the Commission to host a section on its website related to customer choice; requiring the website to comply with specified standards and to include specified information; etc.
Sponsored by: Sen. Brian J. Feldman
Hearing 4/6 At 1:00 P.m. on 03/30/2010
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Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Department of Agriculture - Invasive Plants - Labeling and Notice [HB-1360]
[Agriculture ]
[Environmental ]
[Animals ]
[Food ]
Designating specified species of plant as invasive plants; authorizing the Department of Agriculture to designate specified additional species of plant as invasive species if the species meet specified criteria; prohibiting a person, except as provided under the Act, from selling or offering for sale in the State, or from planting or supplying as part of a specified landscaping service in the State, invasive plants; establishing specified labeling, signage, and notice requirements for invasive plants; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. Eric M Bromwell
Hearing 3/12 At 1:00 P.m. on 02/19/2010
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Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Electric Companies and Gas Companies - Customer Account Information [HB-1340]
[Consumer Protection ]
[Energy ]
[Public Safety ]
Requiring an electric or gas distribution utility, on written request of a specified competitive supplier, to provide specified information about customer accounts to the supplier, subject to a restriction; requiring the distribution utility to provide the information in a specified form and to update it periodically; authorizing a customer to refuse authorization to share specified information; requiring a distribution utility to notify a specified supplier when specified authorization is withdrawn; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. Dereck Eugene Davis
Hearing 4/6 At 1:00 P.m. on 03/30/2010
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Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Business Regulation - Restaurants - Prohibition on Automatic Gratuity [HB-1339]
[Consumer Protection ]
[Labor, Jobs, Employment ]
[Small Business ]
Prohibiting a restaurant from including an automatic gratuity on a restaurant invoice; establishing specified penalties for a violation of the Act; establishing that each invoice that includes an automatic gratuity in violation of the Act is a separate offense; providing a specified exception for large parties; clarifying a specified scope provision; defining a specified term; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. Cheryl D Glenn
Unfavorable Report By Economic Matters on 03/27/2010
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Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Civil Litigation Funding [HB-1331]
[Finance ]
[Consumer Protection ]
[Law Enforcement ]
Establishing requirements for a contract for nonrecourse civil litigation funding; regulating fees assessed by a civil litigation funding company; establishing specified prohibitions; requiring each civil litigation funding company to be licensed by the Commissioner of Financial Regulation; providing that a nonrecourse civil litigation funding transaction under the Act may not be deemed to be a loan; etc.
Sponsored by: Sen. Susan C Lee
Unfavorable Report By Judiciary Withdrawn on 03/26/2010
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Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Real Property - Transfer Fees - Prohibition [HB-1298]
[Real Estate ]
[Consumer Protection ]
[Property Tax ]
Prohibiting a person who conveys a fee simple interest in real property from recording a covenant against the title for the real property for the payment of a transfer fee; establishing that a covenant that requires the payment of a transfer fee for the conveyance of a fee simple interest in real property is void; providing specified exemptions to the prohibition in the Act; defining the term "transfer fee"; applying the Act prospectively; and making the Act an emergency measure.
Sponsored by: Rep. Anne Healey
Approved By The Governor on 05/04/2010
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Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Residential Home Sales - Disclosure of Utility Consumption [HB-1291]
[Real Estate ]
[Consumer Protection ]
[Energy ]
[Housing ]
Requiring a vendor of single family residential property to include in the listing of the property specified utility information for the 12 months before the date of the listing; requiring the vendor to submit specified utility information to the Maryland Association of Realtors; requiring the vendor to update the submitted utility information every 6 months during the period the property is listed for sale; requiring the vendor to provide to the purchaser specified materials and utility information; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. Anne Healey
Unfavorable Report By Environmental Matters on 03/22/2010
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Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Public Service Companies - Gas and Electric Service - Alternative Payment [HB-1255]
[Energy ]
[Public Safety ]
[Consumer Protection ]
[Public Health ]
Requiring the Public Service Commission to adopt regulations to limit the authority of a public service company to terminate gas or electric service to a residential customer in arrears under specified circumstances; requiring regulations that would require a public service company to offer customers the option of entering into a specified alternative payment agreement; requiring the Commission to specify the circumstances under which specified restrictions and agreements may be required; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. Talmadge Branch
First Reading Economic Matters on 02/18/2010
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Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Electric Companies - Information on Customer Choice [HB-1231]
[Energy ]
[Consumer Protection ]
[Telecommunications ]
[Public Safety ]
Requiring an electric company that provides standard offer service to a customer to include a specified list of competitive electric supply options available to the customer with the customer's monthly bill; authorizing electric companies to apply to the Public Service Commission for reimbursement from a specified fund of specified costs; requiring the Commission to impose a special assessment on specified electricity suppliers; requiring the Commission to set the amount of the special assessment at a specified level; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. Frank M Conaway
Unfavorable Report By Economic Matters Withdrawn on 03/27/2010
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Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Commercial Law - Consumer Protection - Refund Anticipation Loans and Checks [HB-1206]
[Consumer Protection ]
[Finance ]
Prohibiting specified persons from soliciting the execution of, processing, receiving, or accepting an application or agreement for a refund anticipation loan or refund anticipation check or facilitating the making of a refund anticipation loan or refund anticipation check under specified circumstances; requiring a facilitator of a refund anticipation loan or refund anticipation check to display a specified schedule of fees in a specified manner; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. Kumar P Barve
Approved By The Governor on 05/20/2010
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Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Consumer Protection - Cable Operators - Purchase of Cable Converter Box [HB-1203]
[Consumer Protection ]
[Telecommunications ]
Requiring a cable operator to provide specified options to subscribers concerning purchase of a cable converter box; providing that a cable operator may continue to offer specified options; prohibiting a cable operator from discriminating between specified subscribers based on whether a subscriber rents, leases, or owns a cable converter box; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. C. William Frick
Unfavorable Report By Economic Matters Withdrawn on 03/09/2010
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Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Consumer Protection - Prepaid International Calling Cards - Notice of [HB-1170]
[Consumer Protection ]
[Telecommunications ]
Prohibiting a person from selling or issuing a prepaid international calling card that is subject to expiration unless the date on which the prepaid international calling card expires is disclosed in a specified manner; and providing that a violation of the Act is an unfair or deceptive trade practice under the Maryland Consumer Protection Act and is subject to enforcement and penalty provisions.
Sponsored by: Sen. Brian J. Feldman
Unfavorable Report By Economic Matters on 03/25/2010
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Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Credit Card Blacklisting Prevention Act [HB-116]
[Consumer Protection ]
[Finance ]
Prohibiting a person from including or enforcing specified provisions in specified consumer credit contracts; permitting specified information to be used to prevent or detect fraudulent activity; providing that a violation of the Act is an unfair or deceptive trade practice under the Maryland Consumer Protection Act and is subject to specified enforcement and penalty provisions; etc.
Sponsored by: Sen. Brian J. Feldman
First Reading Finance on 02/26/2010
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Maryland 2010 Regular Session
Consumer Protection - Damages for Violations of the Maryland Consumer [HB-1150]
[Consumer Protection ]
Authorizing a court to award statutory damages in an amount not less than $500 or more than $5,000 and treble damages under specified circumstances to a person who is injured by a violation of the Maryland Consumer Protection Act.
Sponsored by: Sen. Brian J. Feldman
Hearing 3/11 At 1:00 P.m. on 02/18/2010