Who may apply: Maryland taxpayers who maintain Maryland residency for the 2023 tax year.
How to apply: Complete the Student Loan Debt Relief Tax Credit Application.
Maryland
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Beginning July 1, 2023, residents 21+ in the state of Maryland will be able to legally purchase and possess cannabis. The following is a list of frequently asked questions and answers regarding the new laws, courtesy of the Maryland Cannabis Administration.
A person may purchase cannabis or cannabis products from a licensed dispensary if they display a government-issued photo ID at the point-of-sale that demonstrates they are 21 years or older (driver’s license, state ID card, passport/passport card, military ID, tribal card). Individuals will only be able to purchase up to the personal use amount authorized under law. This amount is up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis flower (including joints and pre-rolls), 12 grams of concentrated cannabis (vape products), or a total amount of edible cannabis products that does not exceed 750 mg THC.
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.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today to overturn affirmative action programs in college admissions:
“The Supreme Court today struck down the use of race-conscious admissions programs in higher education, holding that such programs violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. While the Court’s majority noted that educational institutions may still consider how race has affected an applicant’s life, the decision upends decades of legal precedent on which colleges and universities have relied in striving to achieve the myriad benefits of a diverse student body.
Per the State of Maryland:
Together with Ali Zaidi, National Climate Advisor to President Joseph R. Biden, Governor Wes Moore today announced that Maryland will join the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Building Performance Standards Coalition. The announcement occurred during a visit to Requity Foundation’s Carver House project in West Baltimore, a community-based model for workforce development where high school trade students are gaining hands-on net-zero construction training by retrofitting a vacant rowhouse into an affordable netzero home.
Per the Maryland Department of Health: The Maryland Department of Health and Department of the Environment are urging Marylanders to take precautions as Maryland is once again under a Code Red Air Quality Alert today resulting from the Canadian Wildfires. The departments are advising Marylanders to expect unhealthy air conditions today as smoke and fine particles produced from the wildfires continue to spread across the state and region.
“We are working in conjunction with the Maryland Department of the Environment to monitor the impact that wildfires burning in Canada are having on the air quality in Maryland. We recommend that everyone stay indoors as much as possible today, especially those who suffer from any respiratory conditions,” says Department of Health Secretary Laura Herrera Scott. “If you must be outside, consider wearing an N95, KN95 and FFP2 masks to reduce particles you breathe in.”
Per the State of Maryland (6.28.23): Governor Wes Moore released the following statement on the fifth anniversary of the Capital Gazette shooting, one of the deadliest attacks targeting American journalists in our nation’s history:
“Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith, and Wendi Winters were taken from us far too soon.
Per the Maryland Department of Health (6.28.23): The Maryland Department of Health today announced Caring Out Loud, a year-long partnership with The Trevor Project to bring trainings, resources and support to LGBTQ+ Marylanders.
“As behavioral health professionals, we must continue to address disparities, build hope and save lives,” said Maryland Department of Health Secretary Dr. Laura Herrera Scott. “This partnership reflects our commitment to protecting hope and providing necessary care to LGBTQ+ Marylanders.”
Crimson Coward, a Nashville hot chicken restaurant founded in the Los Angeles area in 2018, recently opened its first East Coast location a few months ago in Northern Virginia. At that time, the company announced an additional 25 restaurants planned for the D.C. area in NoVa. Now, they plan to add an additional 25 restaurants in Maryland.
QSR reports that “The L.A. hot chicken franchise plans to open 25 locations in Maryland as well as 25 total stores in Virginia.” According to the report, Restaurant Management Group-Mid Atlantic (RMG-MA) will develop, franchise, and support all stores in Maryland and Virginia. Exact locations of the restaurants have likely not been finalized yet, so they are not available at this time.
Per the University of Maryland: Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced that the University of Maryland will receive nearly $40 million in grant funding to fast-track its plans to convert its bus fleet from diesel to electric vehicles. Funds will be used to purchase 35 battery electric buses, bus charging stations and associated infrastructure renovations to enable onsite electric bus charging as well as to support workforce development, and train drivers and maintenance staff on how to operate and service electric buses.
The funds were awarded through the FTA’s FY23 Low-No Program, which will provide nearly $1.7 billion for transit projects in 46 states and territories. UMD’s grant was the largest given to a university in this award cycle and one of the largest of the 130 grants awarded overall.
With Independence Day right around the corner and high inflation threatening Americans’ financial independence, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s Most Independent States. This study follows WalletHub’s reports on the Best Places for 4th of July Celebrations and Most Patriotic States.
To determine the most self-sufficient states, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 39 metrics, which measure how dependent Americans are on the government and other people for finances, their jobs and personal vices. You can find highlights from the report below.