Maryland

Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office: Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today joined a coalition of 19 Attorneys General in calling for further protections when student loan payments resume on October 1. Over 40 million borrowers are set to resume making payments following a three-and-a-half-year pandemic payment pause. In that time, a majority of loans were transferred to new servicers. Congress passed a law in June barring further extensions of the payment pause.

Although significant steps have been taken to transform the flawed federal student loan repayment system, including creating SAVE – the new, more affordable income-driven repayment (IDR) plan – and restoring borrowers’ credit toward the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, the coalition cautions that current circumstances are likely to create serious and widespread loan servicing problems, especially as the U.S. Department of Education itself appears to lack capacity to assist borrowers, oversee servicers, and enforce borrower protections during the return to repayment.

Concealed Carry-Restricted Areas: “While lawmakers this year removed the “good and substantial reason” language from Maryland law that the Supreme Court found unconstitutional, Maryland is tightening gun laws to prevent someone from carrying a concealed handgun in certain areas. For example, the law will generally prohibit a person from wearing, carrying or transporting a gun in an “area for children or vulnerable adults,” like a school or health care facility.” (Per the Associated Press)

Police Prosecutions: “Maryland’s attorney general will have independent authority to bring criminal charges against police officers after investigating deaths when officers are involved. The law is an expansion on a package of police reforms approved two years ago in response to concerns about police accountability after the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minnesota.” (per WBAL)

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will begin fall trout stocking in early October. Department crews will transport thousands of state hatchery-raised brown, golden, and rainbow trout and release them in select creeks, rivers, lakes, and ponds across the state.

Due to several variables that can alter schedules, stocking sites and times are not announced in advance, but are available immediately afterward. Anglers are encouraged to sign up for email updates to receive the latest stocking information. Starting in October, anglers can call the trout stocking hotline at 800-688-3467 on Fridays for a weekly update on all locations stocked. The department publishes daily stocking updates on its trout stocking webpage and posts them on Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter.