NCLC submitted written testimony before the Maryland Senate Finance Committee on the amended version of HB 246 regarding earned wage access. The testmony noted that the bill, as amended, would strengthen Maryland law in some respects but weaken it in others. It is essential to retain language treating earned wage advances as loans and including all payments, including tips and donations, in cost caps. The bill should be amended to add a monthly cost cap and protect the minimum wage, and to limit special treatment to employer-integrated models and not to direct-to-consumer loans, especially models that debit bank accounts.