MACo Legal and Policy Counsel Les Knapp offered sponsor-friendly amendments to local ethics commission legislation before the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee on February 8, 2018. SB 474, sponsored by Senator Joanne Benson, would would require a local ethics commission (or the appropriate entity) to meet at least three times a year
and file an annual report with the local governing body and members of the General Assembly who represent that jurisdiction. The reports must provide an overview of the local ethics law and the
activities of the local ethics commission.
From MACo’s testimony:
MACo believes the annual reporting requirements further local government transparency and openness and would not place an undue fiscal or administrative strain on the local ethics commission. However, MACo would offer an amendment to require the ethics commission to meet at least once a year instead of three times a year.
Unless a jurisdiction is facing an ethics issues or considering changing its ethics laws, there may be no need for a local commission to meet more than once a year. Requiring additional meetings that may not be required is both inefficient and wasteful. MACo has worked with the bill’s sponsor and believes the sponsor is supportive of this amendment.
Senator Benson indicated her support for the amendment, offering the language as a sponsor amendment. Maryland Municipal League Governmental Relations Director Candace Donoho also testified in support of the amendment but noted some reservations with the bill’s reporting requirement.
There is no House cross-file to SB 474.
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