Who Passed the Bar Last Year?

Curious to find out who passed the Bar last year? The Sun has a simple database you can search by first or last name.

State Board of Physicians Declaratory Hearings

The Board of Physicians, within the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, publishes full text Declaratory Hearings. Surprisingly, since 1997 there are only four hearings posted on the site. I don't know whether other hearings have occurred but have not been posted, or simply that this really is all the hearings that have occurred since 1997. Please comment if you know anything.

Bill To Promote Investment In MD Startups

Senate Bill 218 was just recently introduced. Intended as a means of stimulating investment in MD startups, the bill provides tax credit incentives to individuals who invest in startup biotech and IT companies. Check out the text of the bill here.

State of The State Address

In case you're looking for the text of the State of the State Address which occurred at noon today, here it is. Also, if you're looking for articles about the Address, check out this article from WTOP News and this article from the Sun.

Small Business Resources

Thinking about starting a small business in Maryland? You may want to check out the Maryland Small Business Development Center site. Most of the information on this site is about the Center and the services it provides, rather than about starting a small business per se. However, definitely check out the links page which gives you a webography of useful internet sources on small business. You also may want to check out the Maryland Small Business Development Center, Central Region site. Definately check out their Resources page. Finally, you can check out the Baltimore Small Business Resource Center page. Check out the Business Plan Outline and the Business Templates page which is in the process of being updated.

Maryland Worker's Compensation Commission

As an independent agency, the Maryland Worker's Compensation Commission serves to promologate and enforce regulations and process claims relating to worker compensation laws in Maryland. Under Maryland law, in order for an injury to be covered, the harm suffered by the employee must have been caused by an "accidental personal injury arising out of and in the course of employment." If you're submitting a claim, see the Claim Form Instruction page. There's also a good page which diagrams the claims process and a page entitled Q And A for Employers. For litigation and statute information see the pages on Appeals On Decisions and 2005 Legislation, respectively. Also see the Publications page.

Maryland Commission On Human Relations

The Maryland Commission On Human Relations is an independent government agency governed by a 9 member commission who are appointed by the Governor. Article 49B of the Maryland Code provides that the agency “may hold hearings and initiate surveys to determine the scope of human relations problems, and to make recommendations for resolving them.” Currently, the only regulations promolgated by this agency and linked to on their site is to Anti-discrimination Relating to Persons with Disabilities. The Agency's other regulations, however, can be found on COMAR section 14.03.01 to section 14.03.04.

Maryland Securities Division

Housed within the MD Attorney General, the Maryland Securities Division sets as it's mission to "protect Maryland investors from investment fraud and misrepresentation." Although their site is basic, there are a couple of things worth noting: first, the site provides links to Administrative Actions litigated within the Division. Second, the Division does also provide a page listing online Investor Education Publications. Finally, there is a page for accessing Forms online.

Measuring Maryland's Exports

If you're interested in numbers on MD exports to other countries, the International Trade Administration site will prove very useful. In truth, even if you're not interested in this topic, this site is worth checking out. There are three pages which offer a good overview of MD's foreign exports: Global Patterns of A State's Exports (which profiles MD exports to other countries), State By State Exports To A Selected Market (which profiles a particular country's imports of MD goods), and Export Product Profile To A Selected Market (which profiles the exports from MD to a particular country). In each case, after selecting Maryland from the drop down menu, your results are presented both graphically (top of the page) and through tables (bottom of the page). You can also specify search criteria by years, product types, dollar values, and other options. Also be sure to check out the Export Resources page on this site which provides a link to A Basic Guide To Exporting.

Maryland Rules of Professional Conduct Revised

The Maryland Court of Appeals has given the OK to the first full scale revision of the Maryland Lawyers Code of Professional Conduct since they were first introduced in 1986. What seems to be the most controversial change in the Code is Rule 8.4(e) which prohibits an attorney from "knowingly [making] manifest by words or conduct" bias toward a client based on based on race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status. For more on the rules take a look at this page from the Maryland Judiciary.

Report on Pro Bono Service in MD

Pursuant to MD Rule 16-903, the Maryland Administrative Office of The Courts has published it's final report on the Current Status of Pro Bono Service Among MD Lawyers, Year 2003. The report indicates that slightly less than 50% of the lawyers in MD provide pro bono service of some kind or another.

Baltimore Development Corporation

Formed in 1991, the Baltimore Development Corporation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-stock corporation "chartered by the City of Baltimore to act as its economic development agent by providing development assistance to new and expanding companies" which partners with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development at the state level. Check out the page on Major Employers which provides a "top 20" listing of businesses in Baltimore City by sector.

Maryland Smart Sites

Smart Sites are specially designated underdeveloped areas in MD. Developers who choose to develop these areas are eligible to recieve certain tax advantages as a result. How do you find these areas? The Smart Sites website provides two ways to search: you can either view all areas on a map interface and then zero in one one, or you can search all areas by filling in the form page and then hitting search.

Register of Wills

"The Register of Wills is responsible for appointing personal representatives to administer decedents’ estates and for overseeing the proper and timely administration of these proceedings." The MD Constitution provides for a separate Register for each county. Check out the Administering Estates In Maryland publication which looks pretty comprehensive. Also check out page entitled What You Need To Know About Maryland's Estate Tax as well as the 2004 Law Changes page.

State Commission On Criminal Sentencing Policy

Established by the MD General Assembly in 1999, the State Commission On Criminal Sentencing Policy is an independent government agency charged with adopting sentencing guidelines "within the limits established by the law" and with monitoring circuit court sentencing practice (from the Origin And Purpose page). Worth checking out on this site are the Sentencing Fax page which provides statistics on sentencing patterns in MD circuit courts, the Sentencing Guidelines Manual, and a host of other publications listed under the Publications page.

Property Tax Rates By County

Wondering where to live in MD? You may want to consider the property tax amounts for the various counties. Take a look at this page from the Maryland State Dept. of Assessments and Taxation.

Solar Energy Grant Program

The Maryland Energy Administration site announces the development of The Solar Energy Grant Program which "provides grants to individuals, local governments, and businesses located in Maryland for portions of the costs of acquiring and installing photovoltaic property and solar water heating property" (from the proposed regulations in issue 31:22 page 1621 of the Maryland Register).