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Thanks to legislation passed in the last few years, Maryland has some of the toughest ethics laws in the nation. The latest changes are a result of House Bill 2, which passed in April 2001 and is expected to be signed by the governor in May. It:

• empowers the State Ethics Commission to revoke or suspend a lobbyist's registration for violating the ethics law and increases the maximum penalties;

• requires greater disclosure of how often and at what cost lobbyists entertain legislators.

To find out more about House Bill 2 and other ethics reform legislation, check out these links:

The Study Commission on Lobbyist Ethics proposed a lobbyist ethics reform bill for the 2001 session. (CNS wrote about the proposal.) Most of the changes recommended were included in House Bill 2 (crossfiled as Senate Bill 75). Read the enrolled version. 

The General Assembly published a Legislative Wrap-Up that puts into perspective the significance of the passage of House Bill 2. CNS also wrote about its passage in the House.

These lists, from the General Assembly, summarize the ethics bills introduced in the 2001, 2000 and 1999 sessions and include the bills' sponsors and status.

Some groups involved in Maryland ethics reform include: Common Cause Maryland and The Center for Public Integrity.

Copyright © 2001 University of Maryland College of Journalism