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Major consumer, business legislation enacted
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Annapolis (Map, News) - Here is a rundown of some major issues affecting business and consumer interests that the Maryland General Assembly dealt with in the session that ended Monday.
» ID theft: Gov. Martin O’Malley on Tuesday signed bills (SB 70, HB 26) extending the life of a task force to study the problem of identity theft and make recommendations to fight the problem of identity theft. But the legislature also passed two of several measures proposed to deal with problem this year.
» Credit freeze: Maryland consumers can “freeze” their credit reports, preventing entities that aren’t authorized from accessing the credit file. Credit agencies may charge a fee of up to $5 for this service. “A security freeze is the best way to stop identity theft before it starts,” a statement from the Maryland Public Interest Research Group said.
» Security breach: Business and consumer groups were both heavily involved in negotiations on a bill that requires companies to notify a consumer if personal financial information is lost or stolen. The Maryland Retailers Association and others couldn’t win an exemption for businesses with less than $1 million a year in revenues, but “the notification standards were more important,” association President Tom Saquella said. Consumer groups were unhappy that the companies must contact the consumer only if it decides there is reasonable risk.
» Restaurants: The Maryland Restaurant Association unsuccessfully fought a ban on smoking in bars and restaurants that will go into effect Feb. 1, and O’Malley has promised to sign the legislation. But the restaurants defeated several bills that called for the banning trans fats in cooking.
» Clean and green: Car dealers and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce couldn’t to defeat legislation mandating stricter emissions on new cars and trucks by 2011. Dealers said it would raise the cost of new cars by at least $1,000. But the chamber did take credit for helping to kill bills requiring reduction of greenhouse gases by cutting energy consumption and for tacking fees onto new development to go into a Green Fund for the Chesapeake Bay.
“We care about the environment and we care about the Chesapeake Bay, but we cannot cure global warming by ourselves,” Chamber President Kathleen Snyder said.
llazarick@baltimoreexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
2:04 PM MST on Fri., Jul. 4, 2008 re: "Mendelson troubled by ex-offender bill"
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Examiner Reader said:
Many and Etcetera cover tons if not all jobs and job descriptions. The writer of the article states that these Questions are being asked and used as a job qualifications from the lowest positions in the neighborhood supermarket all the way to the highest positions corporate America. This is The Mark of Cain. Is it not true that in today’s society? That there has been misconduct, corruption, sexual abuse, tax fraud, theft, and murder all committed by people who have held jobs in the field mentioned by (always) before these people were arrested were they considered Non-criminals, and are they still Americans and are Ex-Convicts still Americans. Sincerely. RHJR.
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Examiner Reader said:
public background checks are flawed and in some cases they should be treated as criminal because there are thousands of people with the same name and mix-ups are an often occurrence ( always states: In previous times, a criminal was permanently ostracized from society. In our current, more humane times, we house, feed, clothe, allow conjugal visits to, educate, and rehabilitate criminals.) This seems to refer to individuals that are presently incarcerated the issue here is the Ex-Convicts search for employment and now that the Ex-Convict has been educated and rehabilitated what should he or she do to support themselves and their families. Is it not ostracizing for a Job Interviewer or Job Application to ask Ex-Convicts or anyone for that matter: Have you ever been arrested, or have you ever been convicted of a crime. (always states: For many jobs, YES, it makes a huge difference whether one is a convicted criminal or not--being a teacher, law enforcement officer, tax accountant, etc.)
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Examiner Reader said:
. These questions on a job application should not be there, they are self-incriminating, they are inhibiting, they are unforgiving, and they are extremely severe punishment for people who have paid their debts to society this is The Mark of Cain and again does the Punishment fit the Crime? and, are Ex-Convicts still Americans? Sincerely. RHJR
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Examiner Reader said:
, employment to support their families and themselves when the Job Interviewer or the Job Application asks the Ex-Convict if he or she has ever been arrested or convicted of a crime: these Questions can cause a good person to become a liar out of fear of not securing a job thus inhibiting them to provide for their families and these Questions are being asked and are appearing on applications for the supposed reasons of a background check from the lowest positions in the neighborhood supermarkets all the way to the highest positions in corporate America. This can not be fair because an interviewer or the reader of a job application is first human and we as humans can not un-hear something or un-see something if an Ex-Convict answers Yes to these questions then he or she will most likely not get the job, whether they’re qualified or not, and if an Ex-Convict answers No then he or she will be fired when the background check comes back showing the dishonest answer. These questions on
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Examiner Reader said:
I do not approve of criminal behavior, the issue here is does the punishment fit the crime. Whether the charge is a violation, misdemeanor or felony in the state of New York and most other states as well these arrest are never removed from your history and also these arrest become public record and anyone that might want to view them can, I think this is extremely severe punishment especially after the persons time has been served. There are Ex-Convicts of all degrees and many of them are and have been truly rehabilitated some have totally re-invented themselves, some have spent lots of time and money, they have completed school courses and gained Degrees and Educational success, they have gained the respect of family and peers and much more. However (they cringe when they are forced to relive the errors of there past, a past that they have repented for many times over and over and now feel that they have become good members of our American society) when they seek honest hard work, em
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Examiner Reader said:
7/2/2008 The Mark of Cain / Ex-Convicts and their Search for employment Dear, Fox 5 News Team. I know that criminals and crime are a big problem in the USA and all over the world for that matter I also know that there have been terrible crimes committed by horrible people. Fox 5 News Team, in the news last month (June, 2008) the Supreme Court did not approve the Death penalty for convicted Child Predators / Molesters stating that the punishment did not fit the crime if that is the case then, why does the Ex- Convict with far less crimes against them, after all of his or her time has been served, all penalties paid, all that is asked of them by the courts and society are done, why must they go through the rest of their lives with The Mark of Cain (X) upon them, I use this phrase because it is Biblical as is the phrase In God We Trust which as we all know is used in our courts, on our money, and in numerous other aspect and respects of our daily American lives ,again I do not
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Examiner Reader said:
Big Brother's Watching / But Who's Helping? On the plights of the Ex-Convict and please keep in mind that even if the Ex-Convict does re-offend that there are more extensive repercussions and consequences as there are the three strikes laws for felonies and more time and or payment for repeat offenders of any degree so there for there is no justification to pre-judge the Ex-Convict or to inflict what seems like the perpetual sentence of the British Law ( Guilty Until Proven Innocent ).Background checks and questions that separate a particular class of people on Job Applications are un-fair and can be self- incriminating and definitely discriminatory,after all this is America the greatest country in the world and Americans do have rights, again are Ex-Convicts still Americans? Sincerly. RHJR.
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Examiner Reader said:
I persoanly do not care if they all close because i do not frequent bars and never did becaue of all the dam smoke.
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Examiner Reader said:
It's about time!!! These people should be locked up, and the key thrown away. They are not going to change. Once a sex offender, always a sex offender. I think these people should be released to the families of the kids they victimized!!! Now that's justice!!!
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Examiner Reader said:
Just because someone did something in the past doesn't mean they will do it again....and just because someone else has "no prior record" doesn't mean they won't commit a crime!
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Examiner Reader said:
I am a concerned citizen, with a family member that has been in jail for over 81/2 yrs. all for a drug charge ,there has been worse convicted felons and released on major crimes .I think this program would be a chance to give certain individuals who are tyring to change there life the oppertunity to do so .
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