Bill Would Allow Holding Tax Refunds Over Warrants

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- A measure in the Maryland House of Delegates would enable the state to withhold tax refunds from people with outstanding warrants.

Comptroller Peter Franchot and uniformed sheriffs from around the state expressed support for the measure on Tuesday in Annapolis.

The proposal would make a pilot program in Anne Arundel County statewide. As of Monday, nearly $470,000 in refunds has been withheld from more than 600 people with outstanding warrants in the county.

Darren Popkin, president of the Maryland Sheriffs Association, says law enforcement officers need innovative techniques to reduce the criminal arrest warrant backlog while maintaining fiscal accountability.