Maryland Governor Parris Glendening, for the second straight year, has vetoed a reform bill that would increase access to the legal system for the people of Maryland. House Bill 70, which would have increased the monetary jurisdiction of small claims courts from $2,500 to $5,000, passed unanimously in both houses of the Maryland General Assembly. However, Glendening, who vetoed identical legislation last year at the urging of the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association, again rejected the increased dollar limit. HALT, a national organization working to improve access and accountability in the civil justice system, had been working with the bill's sponsor, Delegate Robert Baldwin (R-Anne Arundel) to urge the governor to pass the bill. "The veto is a highly undemocratic action by the governor," said Tom Gordon, senior counsel at HALT. "This bill would let people resolve their everyday disputes without the unnecessary expense of hiring an attorney. The people of Maryland have said through the unanimous vote of their representatives in Annapolis that they want to have access to the court system. However, I suppose that the governor can't hear the voice of the people from across the state over the noise of the trial lawyers standing behind him." Maryland, which has the eighth-lowest small claims dollar limit of any state in the country, has not raised its limit since 1992. The state received a grade of "D" in HALT's recent Report Card on Small Claims Court Systems. Each year, small claims courts help millions of people nationwide deal with legal issues quickly and inexpensively. These courts, which use simplified procedures and require plain language, have tremendous promise as a means of empowering ordinary people to take charge of their own routine legal needs.