Bill > HB1038

This bill requires the Maryland Department of Commerce to create an online complaint portal where businesses and nonprofit organizations can report when a governmental unit (which includes counties, municipal corporations, state units, local units, and other public bodies) takes more than 60 days to process an application for a license, form, certificate, certification, permit, or registration. The portal has a key limitation: complaints cannot be filed if a specific state or local law, ordinance, or resolution explicitly allows the governmental unit to take longer than 60 days to process an application. Starting September 15, 2025, and annually thereafter, the Department must submit a report to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee detailing the complaints received in the previous fiscal year. To protect privacy, the Department must make reasonable efforts to anonymize the data when reporting, ensuring that the specific businesses or nonprofit organizations involved are not directly identified. The bill will take effect on July 1, 2025, providing a mechanism for businesses to flag potentially slow administrative processes and increase government accountability.

Business and Industry

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB1038?ys=2025RS