Up & Coming Legislation

We accomplished so much in the 2020 legislative session! Check out some of the issues we worked on and join us as a member to support our fight for economic justice and financial inclusion in Maryland. Stay tuned for our 2021 legislative agenda.

Making Auto Insurance More Affordable

If you own a car in Maryland, you know that auto insurance is expensive! In fact, Maryland has one of the highest average auto insurance rates in the entire country. It is illegal to drive without insurance, but the prohibitive cost of auto insurance can cause Marylanders struggling to pay their bills to go without coverage.

That’s why MCRC is working to introduce a low-cost auto insurance program for Baltimore City and Prince George’s County. These two counties have the highest cost auto insurance in Maryland. With our new program, drivers in these counties will be able to choose a more affordable option and stay covered.

MCRC will also work with partners to eliminate the use of discriminatory non-driving related factors from car insurance, and fight for legislation to create a low-income auto insurance program for qualified Maryland drivers.

Reforming Maryland's Debt Collection System

The amount a working Marylander can protect from wage garnishment – aka the “debt exemption threshold” – has not been updated in over 30 years.

This session we will work to raise the debt exemption threshold to keep people above the poverty line as they repay their debts. We will also work to reduce the predatory 17% charged to Marylanders who owe a debt to the Central Collection Unit collects. This year too, MCRC plans to address medical debt, a leading cause of consumer debt.

Student Borrower protections

For the past three years, MCRC has worked with partners and legislative champions to protect students from predatory for-profit colleges and ensure that student loan servicers are held accountable for dangerous behavior.

In 2020, we will continue to work towards regulatory reform of the for-profit school industry. We will introduce policy that will make it more difficult for for-profit schools to pray upon vulnerable populations like veterans and foster youth. MCRC is also working to address food insecurity on college campuses and transcript withholding.