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MCRC'S 2022 AWARDS FOR ECONOMIC ACTION
Our Awards Dinner scheduled for the 17th has been postponed. We are deeply disappointed and regret any inconvenience this has caused. Please look for news about rescheduling and refund options. Contact info@marylandconsumers.org with any questions.
Who We Are
The Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition (MCRC) is a statewide coalition of individuals and organizations that advances economic rights and financial inclusion through research, education, advocacy, direct service, and community organizing.
Working at the local, state and federal level, MCRC unites individual consumer advocates, poverty and consumer organizations, and grassroots members to press for policies that protect vulnerable Marylanders. We also educate individuals on consumer issues and consumer rights, advocate for consumer interests, study critical consumer issues, and build the consumer movement throughout Maryland. Our coalition includes more than 7,000 supporters along with partner groups including Civil Justice, AARP Maryland, the Maryland CASH Campaign, Maryland PIRG, the Job Opportunities Task Force, and the Maryland Alliance for the Poor.
Announcements
Find Out About Your Medical Debt Rights
MCRC launched a new guide to help people struggling with medical debt better understand their rights. The passage of the 2021 Medical Debt Protection Act means that Maryland now has some of the strongest protections around medical debt in the country. We continue to lead the nation in medical debt protections with the passage of the 2022 Medical Bill Reimbursement Act which requires hospitals to pay low-income patients back for unjustly collected medical debt. Patients deserve to know their new rights.
TAKE THE CREDIT
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TAKE THE CREDIT ~
Apply for the Homeowner’s or Renter’s Tax Credit
Across the state, so many Maryland families are struggling right now to make ends meet, to juggle their bills, and to scrape together enough to pay their mortgage or rent each month. The Homeowners and Renters Tax Credits are available to help!
Please visit MarylandTaxCredit.com, follow the simple prompts, and discover how much money you can save today! Consumers interested in applying for the Renters Tax Credit can contact the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition at (443) 961-6220 for screening and application assistance. Deadline to apply is October 1st.
The Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund
Are you struggling to keep up with your mortgage payments or other housing costs due to COVID-19 related financial hardships? The Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund may be able to help.
PPP Lending In Baltimore City
The COVID-19 public health crisis has devastated both the economic and physical health of Americans and Baltimore is no exception. MCRC’s new report analyzes where the top ten Baltimore City banks distributed Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, looking at zip codes and business-type, as well as the amount of dollars allocated. While communities across the nation have experienced the burdens of this crisis, the impacts have especially devastated low-income communities of color that have experienced disinvestment for decades.
Gender Discrimination in Auto Insurance Pricing
New research shows that sex discrimination by multiple auto insurers causes Maryland women to pay a “Pink Tax”, meaning they pay higher premiums for auto insurance. In a report based on auto insurance premium data for 35 year-olds with clean driving records, the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition (MCRC) and Consumer Federation of America (CFA) found that eight of Maryland’s top insurers use sex as a rating factor in pricing, with women paying $57 more on average than men per year.
WBAL Radio interview
Debt Collection Consumer Resources Website
The brand new Debt Collection Consumer Resources website is live! This website provides a simple step-by-step guide for individuals who have been sued for a consumer debt of less than $5,000 in a Maryland District Court. Check it out and help us spread the word here.
Changing the Use of Non-driving Related Factors in Auto Insurance
The Maryland Consumers Rights Coalition (MCRC) and the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) released a new report illustrating today’s version of redlining in Maryland: The use of zip codes – instead of driving records - to set auto insurance premiums. The report reveals the extraordinary price disparities faced by safe drivers in communities of color compared with those in predominantly white communities, even by people with pristine driving records. HB1251/SB805, sponsored by Del. Alonzo Washington (D-22) and Sen. Douglas J.J. Peters (D-23), will correct these inequities. SB805 will be heard by the Senate Finance Committee on March 3.
Click here to read How Zip Codes Affect Auto Insurance Premiums in Maryland
Gonzales Poll on Medical Debt & Economist Report
A new statewide poll shows Maryland voters support new rules to address medical debt. The poll found that 93% of Maryland voters believe that hospitals should institute an income-based repayment plan before sending a debt to collections.
A study published by economists from Boston University examines the effect different limits on medical debt lawsuits would have on hospital revenue in Maryland. Read the study here.
Learn more about how MCRC is working to end medical debt in Maryland here.
The Medical Debt Freedom Fund
We launched our newest campaign last week to help people struggling to pay off their medical debt! Through our new campaign, the Medical Debt Freedom Fund, our coalition is building a movement to free Maryland patients from crushing medical debt, end harassing calls from debt collectors, and provide former patients with the peace of mind to heal and recover without having to worry about paying a hospital bill they can’t afford.
Our goal is to raise $15,000 to pay off former patients' hospital debts. We strive to reach our goal through education, advocacy, and fundraising. We are working across the state to raise money to pay off patients’ medical debt, focusing on relieving the burden of patients at hospitals that are most aggressive in suing their former patients for debts.
National Eviction Moratorium
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a national eviction moratorium order on Tuesday, September 1, 2020. The purpose of the order is to stop the spread of COVID-19 by keeping people in their homes. In the context of a pandemic, eviction moratoria—like quarantine, isolation, and social distancing—can be an effective public health measure utilized to prevent the spread of communicable disease. Eligible renters facing eviction due to financial hardship caused by COVID-19 are now protected from being displaced from their homes. This moratorium expires December 31, 2020 unless amended.
If you are a Maryland tenant, and need legal representation or legal advice, please contact the following organizations:
Community Legal Services of Prince George’s County
Sign-On Letter Opposing OCC’s "True Lender" Rule
The Acting Director of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Brian Brooks, is proposing a new rule that would legalize payday lending in Maryland and allow predatory payday lenders to partner with banks to offer high-cost, usurious loans to cash-strapped consumers and financially fragile families throughout Maryland.
Brooks' proposed “true lender” rule would allow predatory lenders to evade Maryland’s strong usury rate cap of 33% APR for consumer loans. This proposed rule is a loan laundering scam which allows non-bank predator lenders to “rent-a-bank”, which are exempt from our state rate caps, and would allow these predatory lenders to charge outrageous interest rates.
MCRC
Membership
Becoming a member of MCRC is one of the best ways to build the economic rights movement in Maryland. We can act individually, but by joining together with others that want a more just and equitable Maryland, we increase our power and community. We offer both individual and organizational memberships, but all members receive great perks, including access to MCRC trainings and workshops, event discounts, input in our yearly policy agenda, and much, much more.
MCRC in Photos
MCRC works across the state. You can find us at community events, resource fairs, senior citizen events, and in Annapolis advocating for the economic rights of all Marylanders.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about what we do or if you would like to connect with us for trainings or advocacy please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Our Office
2209 Maryland Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21218 Phone: 410.220.0494 Email: info@marylandconsumers.org