2025 Legislative Priorities: Fighting for 50+ Marylanders & Their Families

AARP Maryland advocates for residents aged 50 and older and their families and collaborates with legislators from both parties to address issues affecting people of all ages in the state.

Our goal is to foster policies that make Maryland more affordable, ensuring financial security and access to vital services for all residents. Our key priorities for the 2025 legislative session include improving long-term care, supporting family caregivers, combating predatory lending, addressing rising utility costs, preventing elder financial exploitation, reducing the tax burden on retirees, making prescription drugs more affordable, and creating more livable communities.

Long-Term Care
AARP Maryland emphasizes the need for high-quality care in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Legislators are urged to:

• Ensure adequate funding and staffing level regulations that guarantee residents receive enough hours of care daily.
• Enforce these staffing standards by preventing facilities that fail to meet them from admitting new residents until compliance is achieved.

Support for Family Caregivers
With over 700,000 unpaid family caregivers in Maryland providing 390 million hours of care annually, it is crucial to support them. AARP advocates for:

• Exploring financial relief options for caregivers, such as tax credits or reimbursement programs to offset the costs of caring for loved ones at home.

Predatory Lending
AARP Maryland seeks to regulate alternative financial services like payday loans and "earned wage advances." These services disproportionately target Black and Hispanic/Latino communities and contribute to financial instability. AARP supports:

• Regulating these services as loans under state and federal laws to prevent exploitation and encourage financial stability.

Fair and Affordable Utilities
As the cost of utilities in Maryland rises, many residents struggle to afford basic necessities like electricity. AARP calls for:

• Reforming the electric generation market to lower standard electric service costs.
• Expanding funding and eligibility for energy assistance programs.
• Maintaining strong consumer protections in the third-party electric supplier market.

Preventing Elder Financial Exploitation
To protect older Marylanders from financial abuse, AARP advocates for:

• Strengthening state adult protective services programs.
• Increasing penalties for perpetrators of financial abuse.
• Implementing additional notices and protections to safeguard vulnerable adults.

Retirement Income
AARP urges lawmakers to address retirement income taxation. Retirees contribute 44% to the state's Gross State Product, making it essential to reduce their tax burden. AARP supports:

• Gradually phasing out exemptions on retirement income to ensure retirees maintain their financial security and can continue to age in place.

Prescription Drug Affordability
AARP Maryland champions the expansion of the state’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB). The board evaluates drug prices and sets upper payment limits for high-cost drugs, but its reach needs to be extended to nongovernmental payors. AARP calls for:

• Ensuring prescription drug prices are reasonable and justified, supporting better access and affordability for consumers.

Creating Livable Communities
AARP is dedicated to ensuring that older adults can live independently and safely in their communities. This involves:

• Promoting transportation options, affordable housing, and safer streets to make communities more accessible and livable for all age groups.

Through these initiatives, AARP Maryland aims to enhance the quality of life for its members and their families, advocating for practical, bipartisan solutions to meet the evolving needs of the state’s aging population.

Stay informed about AARP Maryland’s advocacy efforts and community programs by visiting www.aarp.org/MD.