Maryland

Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has joined a coalition of Attorneys General and cities in moving to intervene in lawsuits challenging decisions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that authorize California to establish regulations that would speed the adoption of zero-emission trucks and reduce emissions from fossil fuel-powered heavy-duty vehicles.

The regulations would help the states tackle climate and air quality challenges by reducing greenhouse gases, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and other emissions from medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. In the latest challenges, trucking and petroleum industry groups are among those challenging EPA’s decision to grant California’s request for “waivers of preemption,” which allowed these regulations to move forward in California and opened the door for other states to adopt them as well. Pursuant to the Clean Trucks Act of 2023, the Maryland Department of the Environment is finalizing regulations, which incorporate California’s standards by reference.

Governor Wes Moore released the following statement on the mass shooting that took place in Salisbury, Maryland:

I would like to thank our first responders who rushed to the scene, and I am confident that law enforcement will bring those who committed this vile act to justice. I spoke earlier this morning with both the county executive of Wicomico and the mayor of Salisbury. I will continue to stay in close contact with local officials and authorities and will assist in every way possible.

Per the Office of Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown:  Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced that his Consumer Protection Division (CPD) has reached a settlement with CarMax, Inc. over its alleged failure to disclose open safety recalls on the used vehicles it offered and sold. The CPD alleged that CarMax’s failure to disclose the recall status was an unfair and deceptive trade practice in violation of the Maryland Consumer Protection Act.

CarMax advertises vehicles as “CarMax Quality Certified,” alleging that its vehicles have undergone a 125+ point inspection and a detailed reconditioning process. CPD alleged that CarMax made these representations a focal point of its advertising for many years, and, before CPD began its investigation, failed to disclose to consumers that the inspection and reconditioning process did not include fixing open recalls. CPD alleged that consumers unknowingly bought vehicles with open safety recalls on them, which potentially placed those consumers’ safety at risk.

Governor Wes Moore released the following statement on Sunday, July 2: “Last night, we saw yet another mass shooting strike our community where a celebratory gathering turned deadly. My heart breaks for these victims, their families, and the Baltimore community that is coping with the loss.

Marvland has had enough of watching gun violence continue to ravage our state and our nation. The fact that these horrific shootings continue to take place is abominable. We as a state will continue to do everything we can to prevent senseless acts of violence like the one we saw last night.

Per the Office of the Attorney General: Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has joined a coalition of 16 Attorneys General in an amicus brief supporting schools’ ability to protect the privacy of transgender students who have shared their identity with school staff.

The brief, filed with the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Foote et al. v. Ludlow School Committee et al., argues in support of the Ludlow, Massachusetts school district’s practice of only sharing information on a student’s transgender or gender-nonconforming identity with the student’s parents if the student consents.