On February 17, Associate Policy Director Karrington Anderson submitted written testimony to the Economic Matters Committee in opposition to HB 179 – Department of Commerce – Complaint Portal and Annual Report.

This bill requires the Maryland Department of Commerce to create and maintain a complaint portal for reporting when governmental units, such as counties, take longer than 60 days to process an application for a business license, form, certificate, certification, permit, or registration.

This bill fails to account for the variety of reasons – many of which are beyond a local government’s control – that processing a business license, permit, or certification may exceed 60 days. Of particular concern, complaint reporting without distinguishing between avoidable and unavoidable delays and the contributing external factors that contribute to them risks producing misleading conclusions and fails to provide meaningful solutions.

From MACo Testimony:

Counties work diligently to process business applications efficiently while ensuring compliance with local, state, and federal laws. However, various external factors can contribute to delays, including incomplete applications, required state or federal approvals, background checks, public hearing requirements, and applicant response times. By creating a public complaint portal without recognizing these complexities, HB 179 risks unfairly attributing delays to local governments without proper context.

More on MACo’s Advocacy: 

• Follow MACo’s advocacy efforts during the 2026 legislative session on MACo’s Legislative Tracking Database
• Learn more about MACo’s 2026 Legislative Initiatives
• Read more General Assembly News on MACo’s Conduit Street blog