Section 15-118 - Transcripts and debt collection(a)(1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.(2)(i) "Debt " means any money, obligation , claim , or sum due or owed by a student to an institution of higher education.(ii) "Debt " includes : 1. Credit extended by or on behalf of the institution that a student is obligated to repay; and2. A nonfederal loan or debt agreement that is issued expressly for postsecondary education expenses and that is guaranteed by: A. An institution of higher education; orB. A private educational lender that is affiliated with an institution of higher education.(iii) "Debt " does not include the fee, if any, charged to a student for the actual costs of providing a transcript.(3) "Student " includes current students and former students of an institution of higher education.(b) An institution of higher education may not: (1) Refuse to provide a transcript to a student because the student owes a debt;(2) Condition the issuance of a transcript on the payment of a debt;(3) Charge a higher fee for obtaining a transcript because a student owes a debt;(4) Provide less favorable treatment of a transcript request because a student owes a debt; or(5) Use transcript issuance as a tool for debt collection.Added by 2023 Md. Laws, Ch. 749, Sec. 1, eff. 7/1/2023.Added by 2023 Md. Laws, Ch. 748, Sec. 1, eff. 7/1/2023.