Title
AN ACT CONCERNING CODE OF ETHICS for the purpose of amending the Code of Ethics in order to conform to State law, changing certain responsibilities to the Office of Ethics and Accountability, and changing the Board of Ethics reporting period.
Background
This legislation will amend the County's Code of Ethics to reflect changes made by the Maryland General Assembly regarding the lobbying registration process, and will amend the Code to change the lobbyist and financial disclosure statement reporting date. Changing the reporting date would allow the Board of Ethics to provide more complete information to both the executive and legislative branches. This legislation would also replace the Office of Law with the Office of Ethics and Accountability (OEA) in the Code of Ethics. In accordance with CB-63-2012, the OEA will provide administrative support to the Board.
The proposed amendments to the Code of Ethics embodied in this legislation are pending approval by the State Ethics Commission.