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Maryland
Maryland one of 11 states considering ‘right to repair’ for farming equipment
![Maryland one of 11 states considering ‘right to repair’ for farming equipment Maryland one of 11 states considering ‘right to repair’ for farming equipment](https://assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2023/02/15/ab4bc69f-6a1b-4e24-8a34-c4421566d734/thumbnail/1200x630/33f7b202232b8e6308b179dc4ecad78d/gettyimages-1404542096.jpg)
DENVER (AP) — Maryland and 10 different states are combating for the precise to restore farm gear — from skinny tractors used between grape vines to behemoth combines for harvesting grain — that may value over half one million {dollars}.
The listing of states contains Colorado, Florida, Missouri, New Jersey, Texas and Vermont.
Most of the payments that target the precise to restore are discovering bipartisan help, mentioned Nathan Proctor, who leads Public Curiosity Analysis Group’s nationwide proper to restore marketing campaign.
Danny Wooden lives on Colorado’s northeastern plains, the place the pencil-straight horizon divides golden fields and blue sky. It’s right here that he scrambles to plant and harvest proso millet, dryland corn and winter wheat briefly, seasonal home windows. That’s till his high-tech Steiger 370 tractor conks out.
The tractor’s producer does not enable Wooden to make sure fixes himself, and final spring his fertilizing operations had been stalled for 3 days earlier than the servicer arrived so as to add a number of strains of lacking laptop code for $950.
“That is the place they’ve us over the barrel, it is extra like we’re renting it than shopping for it,” mentioned Wooden, who spent $300,000 on the used tractor.
Wooden’s plight, echoed by farmers throughout the nation, has pushed lawmakers in Colorado and 10 different states to introduce payments that will drive producers to offer the instruments, software program, elements and manuals wanted for farmers to do their very own repairs — thereby avoiding steep labor prices and delays that imperil income.
“The producers and the sellers have a monopoly on that restore market as a result of it is profitable,” mentioned Rep. Brianna Titone, a Democrat and one of many invoice’s sponsors. “(Farmers) simply wish to get their machine going once more.”
In Colorado, laws that will deal with the issue is basically being pushed by Democrats whereas their Republican colleagues discover themselves caught in a tricky spot: torn between right-leaning farming constituents asking to have the ability to restore their very own machines and the manufacturing companies that oppose the thought.
The producers argue that altering the present follow with the sort of laws would drive firms to reveal commerce secrets and techniques. Additionally they say it could make it simpler for farmers to tinker with the software program and illegally crank up the horsepower and bypass the emissions controller — risking operators’ security and the setting.
Comparable arguments round mental property have been leveled in opposition to the broader marketing campaign referred to as ‘proper to restore,’ which has picked up steam throughout the nation — crusading for the proper to repair the whole lot from iPhones to hospital ventilators throughout the pandemic.
In 2011, Congress tried passing a proper to restore regulation for automotive homeowners and impartial servicers. That invoice didn’t cross, however a number of years later, automotive business teams agreed to a memorandum of understanding to present homeowners and impartial mechanics — not simply approved dealerships — entry to instruments and knowledge to repair issues.
In 2021, the Federal Commerce Fee pledged to beef up its proper to restore enforcement on the course of President Joe Biden. And simply final 12 months, Titone sponsored and handed Colorado’s first proper to restore regulation, empowering individuals who use wheelchairs with the instruments and knowledge to repair them.
Wooden’s tractor, which flies an American flag studying “Farmers First,” is not his solely machine to interrupt down. His grain harvesting mix was dropping into idle, however the servicer took 5 days to reach on Wooden’s farm — a setback that would imply a hail storm decimates a wheat area or the soil temperature strikes past the Goldilocks zone for planting.
“Our crop is able to harvest and we won’t wait 5 days, however there was nothing else to do,” mentioned Wooden. “When it is broke down you simply sit there and wait and that is not acceptable. You could be dropping $85,000 a day.”
The invoice’s proponents acknowledged that the laws may make it simpler for operators to change horsepower and emissions controls, however argued that farmers are already in a position to tinker with their machines and doing so would stay unlawful.
“I do know growers, if they’ll change horsepower they usually can change emissions they’ll do it,” mentioned Russ Ball, gross sales supervisor at twenty first Century Tools, a John Deere dealership in Western states.
This January, the Farm Bureau and the farm gear producer John Deere did signal a memorandum of understanding — a proper to restore settlement made within the free market and with out authorities intervention. The settlement stipulates that John Deere will share some elements, diagnostic and restore codes, and manuals to permit farmers to do their very own fixes.
In Maryland, different laws poses a possible affect. Dozens of farmers flocked to Annapolis for Maryland Farm Bureau’s Day.
The occasion permits members of the Maryland Farm Bureau to remain present on laws affecting farming and rural communities, in response to bureau workers.
The bureau has a listing of precedence payments that it helps:
- HB152: Expands the aim and scope of the City Agriculture Grant Program and the City Agriculture Grant Fund.
- HB253/SB262: Seems to be to extend on-farm composting to 40,000 sq. ft and permit the incorporation of meals scraps to the feedstock used within the compost pile.
- HB389/SB34: Establishes a State Ombudsman for Worth-Added Agriculture as a place within the Division of Agriculture.
- HB200/SB181: Appropriates full funding for vital agriculture packages in the important thing state departments.
- HB592/SB418: Outlines that value-added agricultural actions are a farm or agricultural use of land for evaluation functions.
- HB678/SB670: Provides to the present agricultural gross sales and use tax exemption electrical energy that’s used for agricultural functions, corresponding to elevating livestock and poultry, irrigation, or crop manufacturing and grain harvest.
- HB378/SB310: Alters the Black Bear Harm Reimbursement Fund to authorize grants from the Fund to be made for tasks that scale back conflicts between black bears and people.
- SB327: Cleans up the landowner legal responsibility language to make sure a landowner has correct legal responsibility protection if they permit hunters to hunt on their land; establishes the Wildlife Conservation, Training, and Outreach Program to offer outreach and foster an curiosity in out of doors recreation and stewardship, searching, and wildlife conservation; and, establishes a stamp for searching sika deer.
However a consultant of the group says that some payments launched throughout this session would make farming tougher in Maryland.
“A number of of the lately proposed payments have offered a regarding challenge for Maryland farmers,” MDFB director of presidency and public relations Colby Ferguson mentioned in an announcement. “If accepted, these items of laws would impose extra prices that could be tough and even inconceivable to bear, contemplating that present expenditure for operating a farm is already excessive.”
(© Copyright 2022 The Related Press. All Rights Reserved. This materials is probably not revealed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Maryland
Getting to know Michigan State football’s Week 2 opponent: Maryland
![Getting to know Michigan State football’s Week 2 opponent: Maryland Getting to know Michigan State football’s Week 2 opponent: Maryland](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4000,h_2250,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/137/01j714ppf1xrvce2agzn.jpg)
Game two is coming up for Michigan State football as the Spartans hit the road for an early season Big Ten matchup against Maryland. The Terps have had MSU’s number in recent years, but the Spartans’ new-look team is ready to change that narrative this weekend.
Jonathan Smith and his staff have a lot to work on this week after a lackluster 16-10 win over Florida Atlantic, but we’ve become more than used to slow starts for MSU in their first game so it’s not time to panic just yet.
While the team wraps up their preparations for Maryland, let’s take a quick look at the Terps and see what we can learn about them before the big game on Saturday.
Maryland is off and running in their 2024 campaign and had an absolutely dominant week one performance. The Terps took on UConn at home and came away with an impressive 50-7 win. Sure UConn is an awful football program, but we saw how poorly Michigan State just did against a similar opponent.
Not only was the final score lopsided, but ever major statistical category was as well. Maryland doubled UConn in first downs and rushing yards, threw for nearly 400 passing yards and even won the turnover battle 3-0. The Terps also only had five penalties for 45 yards which is significantly better than MSU’s 12 for 140 yards against FAU.
Sure all of this took place against UConn, but it appears that Maryland is in a very good spot heading into this big week two matchup.
One thing that I thought would be a positive for Michigan State in this game is that Maryland is breaking in a new quarterback as well. The Terps’ quarterback, Billy Edwards Jr., went off against UConn and completed 20-of-27 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns. He also is a capable runner and added 39 yards on the ground, so Michigan State will have its hands full on Saturday slowing him down.
The Terps don’t have one standout running back in the backfield, so that does benefit MSU. They do however have two solid backs in Roman Hemby and Nolan Ray who both ran for over 60 yards and one score each.
The one player however that Michigan State needs to pay the most attention to is wide receiver Tai Felton. He had one of the best Week 1 performances in the country as he recorded seven receptions for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Thankfully MSU’s defense and secondary looked much improved against FAU, so hopefully that carries over into this weekend’s matchup.
The opportunity in front of MSU on Saturday is massive. The Spartans are big underdogs in this matchup which they probably deserve, but a win would do wonders not just for the overall perception of the team but for their confidence moving forward.
I’ve got a strange feeling that we’re going to be very happy around 7 p.m. ET Saturday night.
Maryland
Maryland makes filing taxes online free for some
![Maryland makes filing taxes online free for some Maryland makes filing taxes online free for some](https://thebaltimorebanner.com/resizer/v2/VNZHS3ZRPZFIPLMIQSBCIVIK4M.jpg?auth=ff77372d15f6509b1a1f9c396b1babd2c44c98f67411941eae674ed3f248e4b4&width=657&smart=true&quality=85)
More than 700,000 Marylanders should be able to file their state and federal income tax returns online for free next year, saving residents hours of work and hundreds of dollars on tax software and prep services.
Maryland joined dozens of states Wednesday in a voluntary federal program called Direct File after a test run received positive reviews and showed possible cost savings. Filing paper returns by mail will still be an option.
“It’s unacceptable that Marylanders should have to pay any portion whatsoever of their refund or paycheck to fulfill a mandatory requirement like filing tax returns,” Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman said at a news conference in Annapolis.
The first-term Democrat called the program a game changer for Maryland taxpayers that will modernize her agency. It targets low-to-moderate earners with relatively simple tax returns, and is expected to expand over time.
Lierman’s office will partner with the nonprofit Code for America to integrate the Maryland tax filing system into Direct File. Eligibility requirements will be announced in January, the comptroller’s office said.
Gov. Wes Moore, State Treasurer Dereck E. Davis, members of Maryland’s congressional delegation, U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo and nonprofit partners joined Lierman for the announcement.
Funds from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 helped build and test the system. The IRS and Treasury Department then invited states to participate.
The IRS has been considering a free e-filing option for low-income American taxpayers for decades, according to the Congressional Research Service. When tax prep companies pushed back, the federal government agreed not to compete with them if they provided free help and e-filing to low-earning taxpayers.
However, many qualified taxpayers were pushed toward paid services, according to an investigation by nonprofit news outlet ProPublica.
The IRS piloted Direct File in 12 states this year. Filers used a laptop, tablet, cellphone or other device to submit income returns and request certain tax credits offered to low-earning individuals and families.
In a survey, nine out of 10 Direct File users ranked their experience as “Excellent” or “Above Average.”
U.S. Rep Steny Hoyer, a Democrat representing Maryland’s 5th District, called paying taxes the “price of our democracy.”
“We ought to make it as easy as possible for people to comply with a legal obligation that they have to support their country, their state and their communities,” he said. “And this system of Direct File does that.”
Robin McKinney, CEO and co-founder of CASH Campaign of Maryland, said easy, free online filing makes the government work more efficiently for citizens and should deliver refunds and credits to taxpayers faster.
McKinney’s nonprofit promotes economic advancement for low- to moderate-income Marylanders and provides free tax help, among other services.
Economic Security Project, a nonprofit that advocates for guaranteed income and economic equity for working families, found that adopting Direct File could mean $355 million in costs and time saved for Maryland’s low- to moderate-earners.
Maryland recently has expanded tax credits for working families, but about $152 million goes unclaimed each year, according to the Security Project’s analysis.
They also estimated that about $148 million could be saved in filing fees and $56 million could be saved in time spent filing taxes.
That money could have gone into Marylanders’ pockets, CASH Campaign’s McKinney said, and it could have gone back into the state’s economy.
Maryland
Maryland joins IRS Direct File program, offering free tax filing for up to 700,000 taxpayers – Maryland Matters
![Maryland joins IRS Direct File program, offering free tax filing for up to 700,000 taxpayers – Maryland Matters Maryland joins IRS Direct File program, offering free tax filing for up to 700,000 taxpayers – Maryland Matters](https://marylandmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/2024_Adeyemo_moore_lierman_directfile_edit-2048x1372.jpg)
Some Maryland taxpayers will be able to use a free electronic filing tool for their federal taxes rather than having to pay a tax preparer or buy tax-filing software next year, when Maryland will offer the IRS’s new Direct File service.
The service was tested in 12 states this year, where 140,803 people filed with Direct File, saving an estimated $5.6 million in tax preparation fees. Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman (D) estimated Wednesday that as many as 700,000 Maryland taxpayers could be eligible for the program when it debuts in the state next year.
“While we value our relationship with tax preparers and CPAs (certified public accountants), it’s unacceptable that Marylanders should have to pay any portion whatsoever of their refund or paycheck to fulfill a mandatory requirement like filing tax returns,” Lierman said at a news conference announcing the program.
The IRS and the U.S. Treasury still have to finalize eligibility rules for the program this fall, but Lierman said it will be a “game changer” for those families who do qualify, which could be as much as 20% of individual taxpayers in the state.
“Taxes are a part of the glue that keeps our state and our nation together, functioning, producing, protecting and thriving,” Lierman said. “Yet in America, we make it uniquely challenging to pay those taxes and file a return — until now.”
According to the Treasury, taxpayers spend “approximately 13 hours and $270 preparing their taxes each year.” Many Americans use tax filing services or software, such as TurboTax and H&R Block, to ensure that their taxes are filed correctly, despite most of the information being readily available state and federal tax collection agencies.
It’s unacceptable that Marylanders should have to pay any portion whatsoever of their refund or paycheck to fulfill a mandatory requirement like filing tax returns.
– Comptroller Brooke Lierman
Direct File launched this year in 12 states for people to file their 2023 federal returns — Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo said the program is aimed at helping middle-income tax filers with “relatively simple” filings.
“What I can tell you is our goal for us is to build a system that’s going to work for working class and middle class Americans. So you get a W-2, and you’re somebody who’s a teacher, you’re a fireman, you’re a doctor who’s earning most of your money from a W-2, we want to make sure we’re building a system that potentially works for you,” said Adeyemo, who was in Annapolis for the announcement.
“The thing we’re not going to do is build a system that works for big corporations or wealthy individuals. Next year we’re going to expand the system so that more Americans are able to participate in it,” Adeyemo said.
The Biden administration invited all 50 states and the District of Columbia to join the program next year, when people will be filing their 2024 taxes. The Treasury said that Maryland joins Oregon, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Connecticut, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Maine in taking up Direct File.
“I know to some, this announcement may seem inconsequential — and I know how exciting tax announcements are,” Gov. Wes Moore (D) joked at the announcement. “But the details matter. They matter to the families who are impacted by this work. They’re going to matter to the families, who … dread tax season because it feels complicated. Who dread tax season because it seems expensive, or oftentimes have to deal with the consequences of getting something wrong.”
The Direct File program came out of the Inflation Reduction Act signed in 2022, which also secured additional funding to help the IRS modernize and provide better services to Americans.
But Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who chairs a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, said Direct File program and other services under the Inflation Reduction Act could be “under threat.” While his subcommittee wants to fully fund the IRS and keep Direct File going, House leaders want to cut funding for both.
He also said that the industry is lobbying against the free tax filing system.
“There are people who didn’t want us to do this, including a lot of the middlemen” who currently profit from tax preparation, Van Hollen said. “They’re lobbying against this kind of thing.”
In addition to Van Hollen, Moore, Lierman and Adeyemo, Wednesday’s event drew a number of Maryland Democratic heavyweights: U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, U.S. Reps. Steny Hoyer John Sarbanes and State Treasurer Dereck Davis.
Hoyer put it simply: “Nobody likes taxes.”
“We don’t really get excited about paying our taxes. But we know that it is the price of our democracy,” Hoyer said. “We ought to make it as easy as possible for people to comply with a legal obligation that they have to support their country, their state and their communities.”
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