House panel kills Hogan filing fee reduction bill

Annapolis, MD – Gov. Larry Hogan’s legislative agenda absorbed its first loss of the year Friday as the House Economic Matters Committee voted against a bill that would have reduced the filing fees paid by corporations and other business groups. Such business entities pay an annual filing fee of $300 to the state. The governor’s bill would have cut the fees by $50 each year until they reached $100.

According to General Assembly budget analysts, the measure would have cost $15 million by July 1, 2017 and increased to $61 million in four years.