MRA In The News
As excerpted from The Baltimore Sun : George Zahradka, a third-generation farm owner in Essex, mostly sells directly from his farm stand or to nearby restaurants. With new tariffs on tomatoes from Mexico falling during Maryland’s tomato season, he’s hopeful that more people will make the switch to local produce. “If you can grab a really good tomato or a very bland tomato for the same price, which one would you take?” Zahradka said. Nationwide, tomato prices are expected to rise this week as the United States imposes a 17.09% import tax on tomatoes from Mexico, which Maryland farmers expect will bring some demand for locally-grown tomatoes. The anti-dumping duty was announced on Monday, as the U.S. Department of Commerce said the country withdrew from a 2019 agreement with Mexico regarding fresh tomato sales. The Tomato Suspension Agreement, originally signed in 1996, provided some stability to the tomato market. A version of this decades-long agreement expired during President Donald Trump’s first term and was renewed in 2019, requiring tomatoes from Mexico to go under U.S. inspection and adhere to minimum prices for tomatoes. However, the Trump administration now says that importers in Mexico are selling tomatoes at an unfair rate, also known as dumping, leading to the administration’s withdrawal. The Trump administration is also threatening 30% tariffs on all goods from Mexico and other countries, which could start in August. Even as farmers hope for more local purchases, food industry groups told The Baltimore Sun that the tariffs will be most felt by grocery store shoppers and restaurants, as many won’t be able to easily switch from their typical suppliers. ... In a statement, the National Restaurant Association told The Sun that American restaurants rely on a steady flow of imported produce, including tomatoes, that cannot be grown at the same level in the United States. The statement added that the association is pushing the Trump administration to “pursue policies that will secure fair trade agreements while ensuring the supply chain.” The longstanding agreements on tomato imports have provided stability for growers and consumers, said Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Association, which represents the Maryland Food Industry Council. The duty may also impact American jobs transporting tomatoes, she said. “Cost increases will occur. Businesses, consumers are concerned,” Locklair said. “In grocery, a lot of pricing is out of our control, but this will impact that for consumers.” Click here to read the full article from The Baltimore Sun .
A s excerpted from Maryland Matters : It won’t happen immediately, but advocates and state officials are predicting that changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the budget reconciliation bill signed last week will deliver “a devastating blow” to many of the 680,000 Marylanders who get SNAP benefits. The biggest change that recipients will see are new work requirements for some able-bodied recipients that analysts say many Marylanders simply will not be able to meet, for a number of reasons. The bill also includes a massive shift in costs from the federal to the state governments. Currently, the split administrative costs for the program 50/50 and the federal government pays for all the costs of the actual benefit. Beginning next year, states will pay 75% of administration, at a cost of $172.5 million, according to estimates from the Maryland Department of Human Services. A year later, they will pay for up to 15% of the actual benefits, according to a formula based on current performance. Maryland will pay the most, 15%, at a cost in current dollars of $240 million. The bill also caps future benefit increases at the rate of inflation and limits eligibility to citizens and lawful permanent residents; refugees and asylum-seekers would be kicked off the program. The Urban Institute estimated this month that about 369,000 Maryland families would lose some or all SNAP benefits. Of those, 81,000 would lose an average of $150 a month — the current average monthly benefit in Maryland is $180 — and 51,000 families with children would lose and average of $81 a month. ... SNAP cuts could also affect some businesses in the state: For groceries that get a significant amount of their business from SNAP recipients, the reductions could pose a threat. Maryland Retailers Alliance President Cailey Locklair said there’s no indication yet whether that will happen. But any reduction in consumer spending could have a serious impact on grocers, she said, given the industry’s low average profit margins of 3% or less. “I have some retailers where the majority of the revenue that’s coming in is from individuals who are receiving benefits,” Locklair said. “So the sheer viability of some of those brick-and-mortar retailers in communities that are underserved is going to be contingent on the same level of spending going on.” Click here to read the full article from Maryland Matters .
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As excerpted from The Baltimore Sun: Lobbyists and advocates looking to wield their influence with Maryland officials — with a record $58 million behind them — saw both wins and losses this year in Annapolis. For the viewing public, it’s sometimes difficult to discern one from the other. The Baltimore Sun analyzed data from thousands of new lobbying disclosures , reviewed other public records and interviewed individuals to understand where lobbyists and advocates tried to put their fingers on the scale in the months before and during the 90-day session that ended in April. ... Another business group, the Maryland Retailers Alliance, became the third-largest lobbying entity this year, with total expenses of $625,190. Cailey Locklair, its president and top lobbyist, said retailers’ top priority was a success — the creation of a new felony-level “organized retail theft” crime for property with an aggregate value of more than $1,500. Two other high-profile goals gained little traction. One aimed to adjust the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act, which lawmakers passed in 2024 to limit the amount of personal data that companies can collect. Locklair said the law went too far, severely limiting how retailers can target ads to potential customers. The other was the repeal of Maryland’s ban on beer, wine and liquor being sold in supermarkets and other retail establishments. All four of the new lobbyists hired by the Retailers Alliance this year, in their disclosures to the State Ethics Commission that showed they were collectively paid $119,000, only listed those bills as their focus. Moore said in December he supported the change and indicated he was confident lawmakers would send him a bill. Senate President Bill Ferguson soon dampened those expectations, saying in an interview with The Sun in January that it was “not something that we’re going to be spending a lot of brain power trying to figure out.” Legislation in both chambers never received even an initial committee vote. Locklair acknowledged the “very strong lobby on the other side” — referring to groups like the Maryland State Licensed Beverage Association, whose $144,000 in lobbying expenses was about $36,000 more than the previous year. But the support from the governor and increased conversation this year was a good sign, she said. “Absolutely we will be bringing it back,” Locklair said. “I think there’s a lot of momentum on this and a lot of positive conversations taking place.” Click here to read the full article from The Baltimore Sun .
As excerpted from The Baltimore Sun: A Baltimore County Council bill that would have created an environmental enhancement fund partially financed with money retailers charge for paper bags failed Monday night. The legislation would have required retailers to give the county a minimum of 2 cents from each 5-cent fee collected from distributing paper or reusable bags. The money collected would have gone to a fund that could have been used to give grants to groups for cleaning waterways or picking up litter. ... The Maryland Retailers Alliance opposed the bill, not because it disliked the concept of an environmental education and enhancement fund, but because it opposed reducing the amount retained by retailers, putting Baltimore County businesses at a disadvantage. “Maintaining the fee as-is provides transparency for customers because they know what they’re paying for — they’re paying for that bag,” Sarah Price, the alliance’s vice president of communications and government affairs, said at an April work session. “It reduces competition between businesses and it ensures that the mandate is paid for by the people who choose to continue using single-use bags.” Click here to read the full article from The Baltimore Sun.
Maryland businesses relying on imports from Asian countries continue to worry, even with President Donald Trump putting a hold on most of his sweeping tariff plan. While a 125% tariff is now on goods from China , only a 10% universal tariff is in effect for virtually all countries. The reciprocal tariff plan, which pummeled Asian countries the most, is on hold for 90 days. Tessa & Sons Philippine Market in Glen Burnie helps fill a niche by being the only dedicated Filipino grocery store in the greater Baltimore area. Theresa Laviano, who has been running the market for about 10 years, but only recently has she been particularly concerned about business. While the store carries some American products, the majority come from the Philippines and other Asian countries. "That's the purpose of [the tariffs], to buy American products, but most of our products are imported," Laviano said. "So, if they impose more tariffs...that's the greater impact on the cost of all of the goods." If tariffs had gone into effect Wednesday as planned, goods from the Philippines would have had another 17% tariff tacked on. Other Asian countries had tariffs as high as 46%. The manager for Lil' Thingamajigs in Ellicott City told WJZ there's concern about how the tariffs would impact the store's bottom line. The store's anime, K-Pop, and other Asian pop culture products are heavily imported. Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Alliance, said the Trump administration's tariffs have been a heated topic within her organization and its members. The Maryland Retailers Alliance advocates for more than 6,000 businesses, ranging from large retailers to small businesses. Locklair said the tariffs don't do anything to fix inflation, which she calls the biggest issue: inflation. "The tariffs we're talking aout are extreme, they do not appear to be targeted or strategic," Locklair said. "We really need to think about lowering costs for American families, who have been struggling with inflation and higher prices for too long." Locklair is calling for policies like the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the USMCA Trade Agreement, both of which were passed and implemented during Trump's first term. But, until then, Locklair -- and businessowners like Laviano -- are just riding the wave and adapting where they can. "One at a time, we live day by day," Laviano said. Click here to read the article from CBS NEWS .
SILVER SPRING, Md. — This year, the state of Maryland is cracking down on retail theft. Since COVID, retail industry experts have reported a rise in flash mob and smash & grab retail thefts across the country. The D.C. region does not appear to be an exception. This trend led the state of Maryland to look at harsher penalties to deter would-be thieves. For the last decade, retail and shoplifting laws in Maryland have seen less severe penalties than other nearby states. For example, the threshold for retail theft to reach a felony was $1,500 in a single jurisdiction. That meant if a thief stole $1,500 of items between two counties, it would just be a misdemeanor. Misdemeanors can carry prison time, but it’s not mandatory. Retail experts believe that loophole, combined with several other factors, led to a rise in crime. “Organized retail crime has grown dramatically, especially in the last 10 years,” said Cailey Locklair from Maryland’s Retail Alliance, which represents all types of shops from big box stores and the grocery chains to the mom-and-pop shops. “These shops absolutely cannot just file with insurance and insurance reimburses them for the value of goods that are stolen,” she explained. Locklair said the increase in flash mobs and smash-and-grabs across Maryland rattled retailers. “When you hear from large retailers what these numbers are [it’s a lot],” she said. “We are talking about millions of dollars [stolen] in Maryland alone for one company.” This year, Maryland’s lawmakers listened, passing Prince George’s County Democrat Sen. Ron Watson’s organized retail theft law. “This bill says that if a group of folks steal from multiple stores in several counties, and the aggregate amount of everything stolen is more than $1,500, then everyone gets charged with a felony,” Sen. Watson said. “That charge also includes the cost to repair or replace anything damaged in the robbery attempt. “ “This is a big deal because we know that these rings go from county to county, store to store, and actually do the same thing over and over,” he finished. Locklair said Maryland isn’t the only state to tighten shoplifting laws. “Finally, Maryland moved forward, California has already passed this bill before us and so many other blue states had done so as well,” she said. Lawmakers hope this crackdown can bring down mass retail theft. Click here to view the interview with WUSA9 .
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 2, 2025 Maryland Passes Long-Awaited Organized Retail Crime Law to Combat Rising Theft Annapolis, MD – After nearly a decade of advocacy, the Maryland General Assembly has officially passed a landmark Organized Retail Crime (ORC) law , equipping law enforcement and retailers with the tools needed to combat sophisticated retail theft operations. The new law creates a clear definition of organized retail crime , enables statewide data collection , and allows theft to be aggregated across jurisdictions – closing a critical loophole long exploited by criminals. For years, organized retail crime has plagued Maryland businesses, with criminals strategically jumping from jurisdiction to jurisdiction to stay below the state’s $1,500 felony theft threshold and evade serious charges. This legislation, HB179/SB11, ensures that law enforcement and prosecutors can track repeat offenders, combine offenses across counties, and pursue stronger penalties against those orchestrating these crimes. “Retailers across Maryland have been sounding the alarm on organized retail crime for years,” said Cailey Locklair, President of the Maryland Retailers Alliance. “This law is a game-changer. It finally gives law enforcement the ability to treat organized retail theft as the serious crime it is, rather than a series of unrelated incidents.” Organized retail crime has become a growing threat nationwide, impacting large chains, small businesses, and consumers alike . Stolen goods often end up being resold in illicit markets, fueling larger criminal enterprises. By defining organized retail crime in state law and enhancing tracking capabilities , Maryland joins a growing number of states taking decisive action to protect businesses, employees, and communities. “This is a major victory for public safety and economic stability in Maryland,” said House sponsor Delegate Karen Toles. “With this new law, we’re sending a clear and concise message: organized retail crime will no longer go unchecked in our state.” The passage of this law marks a significant step forward in Maryland’s fight against retail theft, ensuring stronger accountability for repeat offenders and greater protections for businesses and consumers . ### Contact: Cailey Locklair 317-397-1918 clocklair@mdra.org
ANNAPOLIS — As Maryland’s business community rails against a proposed tax on business-to-business services, top Democrats in the legislature have framed the proposal as just one of several options for raising the revenue needed to avoid drastic cuts to vital government services. Company executives, business owners, advocacy organizations and industry groups on Monday descended on Annapolis in an attempt to beat back the proposal, which would levy a 2.5% tax on services between businesses. State analysts have projected that the tax would raise more than $940 million next fiscal year and nearly $1.3 billion in the following fiscal year at a time when the state is staring down a more than $3 billion deficit that is projected to double in the coming years. But opponents, including Republican legislators, have claimed the tax would jack up prices paid by consumers, chase businesses from the state, prompt large companies to reconsider having assets in Maryland, force small businesses to lay off staff or shutter altogether, and generally hinder the state’s already stagnant economic growth. “We have heard over and over and over again, especially this legislative session, that Maryland needs to grow its economy,” Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Alliance, said during a news conference Wednesday. “This tax, on top of tax proposal after tax proposal and years and years of costly mandate after costly mandate aimed directly at the business community, that sends the exact opposite message,” she said. At a time of rising concern about a potential state-based recession, Democrats have said that revenue raised from this tax could preclude cuts to Medicaid and government programs and services for people with disabilities, foster care, and veterans, among others. During a hearing Wednesday, House Majority Leader David Moon said he chose to introduce the tax on services between businesses as an option for balancing the budget along with what is likely to be at least $2.5 billion in cuts. Gov. Wes Moore has introduced an expansive tax reform package, but several parts of his plan haven’t received the support they need in the legislature. Lawmakers have also considered legalizing online casino gaming, which could eventually raise hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, but top state senators and the governor have been weary about how such a measure would exacerbate problem gambling, among other concerns. Since introducing the business-to-business tax, Democrats have appeared open to including carve outs for some types of businesses, including sole proprietors, and it remains to be seen whether they’d be open to lowering the proposed tax rate. Legislators have laid out more than a dozen categories of business-to-business services to which the tax would apply, though it remains to be seen exactly which business types will be subject to paying the tax. The proposal has also garnered some powerful opposition, including from companies like Under Armour, Northrop Grumman and McCormick & Company. Paul Nolan, McCormick’s vice president of tax, government affairs and strategic real estate, said during Wednesday’s hearing that the proposed tax would “encourage those of us here to consider other locations to receive any of the services that are taxed here.” Click here to view the article from The Daily Record .
'In some cases, they will have to close': Opposition grows against proposed business-to-business tax
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Opposition is building against a proposed tax on business-to-business services. Around 400 people signed up in protest of the proposed legislation in Annapolis on Wednesday. Supporters said it would raise $1 billion in revenue and help shrink the state's $3 billion budget deficit . Legislators introduced the bill last week, stressing they need more options in the final stretch of budget negotiations. "This is an assault on Maryland small business, plain and simple," said Bill Chambers with the National Federation of Independent Business. "Tax would threaten the viability of existing business," said Cailey Locklear [sic], president of the Maryland Retailers Association. The small business community rallied to oppose a 2.5% tax on business-to-business services. "This isn't just a business issue. It's a jobs issue," said Mary Kane, president and CEO of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. "It's an economic development issue, and it's a consumer issue that will affect every Maryland resident through higher prices and reduced services." "They will reduce staff hours. They will lay off employees. They will cancel expansion plans. They will raise prices, and, in some cases, they will have to close," Locklear [sic] said. "This bill is a tax compliance itself. Hire a CPA to ensure you are meeting your tax obligation, now taxed. Paying for payroll services to ensure your employees are paid appropriately on time, taxed. Bring in a consultant and new software to implement this very bill, now taxed," said Rebecca Olson, CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs.\ The House Ways and Means Committee gaveled in testimony for and against the measure Wednesday, with 123 people signed up to testify. More than 400 registered their opposition. Those opposed to the tax even gathered outside the hearing room to watch on a TV monitor. The bill's sponsor, House Majority Leader David Moon, D-District 20, pointed out that the $2 billion in cuts and $1 billion in tax reform already on the table aren't enough to balance the budget. Moon said freezes in federal spending and the ongoing purge of federal workers are an additional burden. "It seems to me, with the floor falling out of our fiscal ship, that we need more options," Moon said. If passed, House GOP lawmakers want the governor to veto the bill. "We need to see some leadership from the top. We need the governor to come out and say he's opposed to this," said House Minority Whip Jesse Pippy, R-District 4. "Unfortunately, (Gov. Wes Moore) is noticeably absent from this conversation. He has stated time and again that growing Maryland's economy is his top priority while specifically touting investments in the life science and technology sectors, yet he is quietly standing by while fellow Democrats are poised to introduce this new tax and crush the very industries he's promoting. Maryland's private-sector business community needs the Governor (to) focus on the economic growth (for) our state and end his silence by forcefully opposing this brand new tax on services," Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey, R-District 36, said in a news release. The bill sponsor and Senate president said it's a tough balance right now. There are no good choices, only challenging ones. When asked about whether Moore supports the tax, senior press secretary Carter Elliott said: "Governor Moore is proud to have proposed a budget that provides a tax cut for two-thirds of all Marylanders while also lowering the corporate tax rate and eliminating Maryland's unique burden as the only state in the country with both an estate and an inheritance tax. "The governor will continue to work with the State Legislature, local leaders, and all partners involved to ensure that we pass a budget that will give middle class families a break, grow our economy, and protect and invest in our people." Click here to view the article from WBALTV11 .
