Incarcerated Individual Apprenticeship Pilot Program
HB0194 creates a new consumer protection rule for retail sales when a merchant sends a customer the wrong item, or sends an item that is damaged or faulty. In those cases, a consumer may request that the merchant pay or refund the shipping costs the consumer incurred to return the item. The merchant must then either provide a prepaid shipping label or refund the consumer’s full shipping costs within 30 days after receiving the request and the returned item in its original condition.
The bill also ties this requirement to Maryland’s consumer protection enforcement framework by classifying a violation as an unfair, abusive, or deceptive trade practice. That means the conduct would be enforceable under the Maryland Consumer Protection Act and subject to the Act’s civil penalties and related remedies, with the bill specifically incorporating the relevant provisions of Title 13 of the Commercial Law Article. The measure is scheduled to take effect October 1, 2025.
HB0194 amends the Commercial Law Article by adding a new Section 14-1328 and by expanding the list of violations that count as unfair, abusive, or deceptive trade practices under Section 13-301. It creates a statutory right for consumers to recover return shipping costs in certain mistaken or defective retail transactions and imposes a corresponding duty on merchants to provide prepaid return shipping or a timely refund. The bill affects retail merchants, online sellers, and consumers, and it gives the Attorney General and other enforcement mechanisms under the Maryland Consumer Protection Act a basis to pursue violations.
The available legislative record suggests generally favorable treatment of the bill. It received a favorable committee report and was adopted by the House with floor amendments, indicating broad support for the consumer-protection goal. No committee transcript or recorded vote details were provided, so there is no evidence in the record supplied here of organized opposition or divided sentiment.
The main policy issue is the allocation of return-shipping costs when a merchant ships the wrong, damaged, or faulty item. Support for the bill is implied by its favorable report and House adoption, while any potential concern would likely come from merchants who would bear new refund or prepaid-label obligations and face consumer-protection penalties for noncompliance. The bill also includes a condition that the returned item be in its original condition for a refund of shipping costs, which may be relevant in disputes over eligibility and timing.