A Germantown couple took in a four-day-old girl and adopted her two years later but were unprepared for the higher cost of child-rearing. Hoping to help families who adopt and to encourage higher adoption rates, the couple reached out to former Del. Krill Reznik, who works in the Maryland Department of Human Services, about increasing benefits.
Rather than giving parents a larger tax credit, legislators backed a plan to increase the adoption tax deduction. Adoptive parents will receive a tax deduction of $10,000 and $12,000 if the child has special needs. The law goes into effect on July 1. [MyMCMedia]
Gaithersburg teen’s book drive nears 15,000 donations for pediatric cancer patients
Emily Bhatnagar of Gaithersburg started For Love and Buttercup, a book drive for children with cancer, shortly after her father was diagnosed in 2019 with Stage 4 thyroid cancer.
Bhatnagar used the tips she earned from working at her parents’ bread shop to purchase books while others came via donations through her Amazon Wishlist.
The 2022 Quince Orchard High School graduate is closing in on 15,000 donated books and celebrating that her father is in remission. [The MoCo Show]
Marriott settles with Texas over fee disclosure
Marriott International Inc. and the state of Texas reached a voluntary agreement to prominently display all resort fees in an effort to improve price transparency with ads and through the booking process.
Under the agreement, Marriott will disclose the total fee for rooms as the displayed price. [Reuters]
Today’s weather: Sunny skies, with a high around 70.
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