Maryland Statutes
Part II - Special Legislative Provisions
Section 5-517 - Confidentiality

(a)    Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this section, any matter before the Joint Ethics Committee, including information relating to any complaint, proceeding, or record of the Joint Ethics Committee, shall remain confidential.
    (b)    Public access and inspection of an activity or a record of the Joint Ethics Committee shall be available for:
        (1)    a disclosure or disclaimer of a conflict of interest form filed with the Joint Ethics Committee;
        (2)    a portion of a meeting in which a disclosure or disclaimer form is reviewed by the Joint Ethics Committee;
        (3)    information relating to a complaint, proceeding, or record of the Joint Ethics Committee involving a member of the General Assembly if consent to public access and inspection is granted by:
            (i)    the member involved in the matter; or
            (ii)    a three–fourths vote of the full membership of the Joint Ethics Committee, based on criteria established by rule;
        (4)    a rule or broadly applicable opinion issued by the Joint Ethics Committee; or
        (5)    any matter or record that is otherwise available for public access or inspection as specifically authorized under this subtitle.
    (c)    (1)    The Joint Ethics Committee shall provide a copy of a complaint alleging a violation of the antiharassment policy and procedures and a notice of the Joint Ethics Committee’s action to the Human Resources Manager of the Department of Legislative Services.
        (2)    For information received under paragraph (1) of this subsection, the Human Resources Manager shall be subject to the confidentiality restrictions of subsections (a) and (b) of this section.

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