ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland General Assembly gave final approval Monday to Gov. Martin O’Malley’s measure requiring mortgage lenders to offer foreclosure mediation.
The bill, passed in the last hours of the 2010 session, requires lenders to prove they tried to modify a loan before issuing a foreclosure notice. The measure directs lenders to provide homeowners with all the information and paperwork necessary to contest lenders’ decisions and pay a $300 fee for every foreclosure notice issued.
Loan analysts have said the bill would drive lenders out of the state, but O’Malley spokesman Shaun Adamec said the measure targets only predatory lenders.
The General Assembly also passed legislation requiring utilities to buy more power from solar energy sources or face a fine for noncompliance. The measure would increase consumers’ power bills over the next five years, adding about 77 cents per month by 2016.
Lawmakers were still working out differences on sex offender legislation late last night that would extend the state’s five-year mandatory sentence for serious sex offenses or rape against a child. The House wanted to extend the sentence to 15 years, while the Senate wanted it extended to 20 years. The legislature already had passed a bill requiring lifetime supervision for the most serious offenders.
A conference committee also was busy late Monday reconciling differences in Senate and House versions of a bill making it easier to track sex offenders online. The measure would bring Maryland’s sex offender registry in line with federal standards.
A conference committee also was busy late Monday reconciling differences in Senate and House versions of a bill making it easier to track sex offenders online. The measure would bring Maryland’s sex offender registry in line with federal standards.
The last-minute crackdown on sex offenders was accompanied by a final push for laws targeting gangs and gang-related crimes. The assembly seemed poised late in the evening to pass sweeping legislation that would make it easier for law enforcement to identify and prosecute gang members.
“Stop picking at it,” said Sen. Norman R. Stone, D-Baltimore County, telling opponents of his gang prosecution bill that he had already accepted enough amendments.
Many of O’Malley’s initiatives going into the 2010 session were pushed through — most notably his $5,000-per-new-hire tax credit to businesses hiring the unemployed, changes to the unemployment insurance trust fund that secured $127 million in federal funding, the foreclosure mediation bill, and passage of the state’s $13.2 billion operating budget.
Also passed was legislation banning hand-held cell phones while driving, although it would be a secondary offense.
Noteworthy measures that were killed include efforts to both ban and legalize same-sex marriage, permit casino-style card games in the state — or place them on the ballot for a voter referendum — and eliminate state funding for local pork projects over the next two years.
