The State Ethics Commission is an independent, five-member board that appoints its own staff. In order to reach the statutory goals, the State Ethics Law includes various specific programs most of which are administered by the State Ethics Commission. The programs administered by the State Ethics Commission are summarized below: 

Public Financial Disclosure: The State Ethics Commission administers a financial disclosure program that requires more than 8,000 State elected officials, candidates for State elected offices, other categories of officials including State agency managers, regulators and purchasing staff, and some appointed members of boards and commissions to file annual financial disclosure statements. The financial disclosure forms require the filer to identify real estate interests, equity interests, and other relationships such as employment, debts and gifts so that the public can be assured that the impartiality and independent judgment of those officials and employees will be maintained. The general reporting deadline is April 30 ^th of each year. New filers must file within 30 days of starting a position requiring financial disclosure. Persons leaving a position requiring disclosure must file a termination statement within 60 days of leaving that position. The public can view filed financial disclosure forms at the office of the State Ethics Commission, 45 Calvert Street, 3^rd Floor, Annapolis, Maryland 21401. Financial disclosure statements are available to the public for examination and copying. The individual who desires to view a financial disclosure statement must identify him or herself and provide his or her address. On the request of the individual whose statement was examined or copied, the Commission will forward a copy of that record to that individual.

Conflict of Interest-Standards of Conduct: The State Ethics Commission administers the conflict of interest standards of conduct governing State employees and officials other than judges, judicial officers, and legislators. The standards of conduct include participation, employment, ownership interests, post-employment, contingent fees, gifts, certain procurement activity, misuse of position, and confidential information. More than 80,000 people are subject to this program.

Lobbyist Disclosure and Regulation: The State Ethics Commission administers a lobbying regulatory program including registration, disclosure, reporting and standards of conduct for executive, legislative and grassroots lobbying. The lobbyist standards are comprehensive and address a multitude of issues including contingent fees, campaign finance activity, improper encouragement of legislation, improper gifts, prohibitions against loans, concealment of clients, referrals by officials or employees to get lobbying clients, intentional misstatement of fact, and other fraudulent or illegal activities. More than 2,000 lobbying registrations are filed each year and identify the name of the lobbyist, the employer and the topics to be lobbied. Lobbying activity reports are usually filed twice a year by May 31 ^st for the period of November 1 through April 30 ^th , and by November 30 ^th   for the period of May 1 ^st through October 31 ^st . Activity reports include the lobbyist’s compensation and expenditures, gifts, and certain business relationships with officials. There are various other reports that lobbyists must file including lobbyist campaign contributions and meals or receptions for legislative units. These filings are public documents and may be viewed during normal business hours at the Commission’s office, 45 Calvert Street, 3^rd Floor, Annapolis, Maryland 21401.

Local Government Ethics Requirements: The Public Ethics Law requires counties and cities to have ethics laws approved by the State Ethics Commission. Additionally, school boards not covered by county laws must have ethics regulations. The Ethics Commission maintains a list of those localities having ethics laws is maintained at its office.

Prince George's County Zoning Ethics Law: The Public Ethics Law requires land use applicants and agents to disclose political campaign activity, limits applicant and agent campaign contribution activity under some circumstances, in situations in which an applicant or agent has made a political contribution to a Council member, limits the Council member’s participation in the application decision making process, and requires certain persons and officials involved in the application process to disclose ex-parte communication. Documents filed in accordance with the requirements of this program are available at the Prince George’s County Council Clerk’s Office for the public to view.

Board and Commission Conflict Exemption: This provision of the Public Ethics Law allows the appointment of a part-time State board and commission member having certain conflicts of interest relating to employment or ownership interests if the conflict existed at the time of the appointment and the proposed appointee publicly discloses the conflict to the appointing authority and the Senate, if Senate confirmation is required for the appointment. Although the existence of a conflict may be exempted, other provisions of the Public Ethics Law continue to apply such as recusal from participation in State matters relating to the conflict. Lobbying provisions of the Ethics Law enacted in 2001 generally prohibit lobbyists from appointment to boards or commissions that are subject to the Ethics Law regardless of time-of-appointment disclosures.

Special Procurement Ethics Provisions: Under certain circumstances, the Public Ethics Law prohibits persons or entities, or their employers, who assist the State in drafting specifications, invitations of bids and requests for proposals from bidding on the proposal.

Special Ethics Law Exemption Activities: In certain limited situations, the Public Ethics Law provides that a person may be exempted from various provisions of the Law. The exemptions include, but are not limited to, financial disclosure filing requirements for board and commission members (usually advisory boards of short duration), Governor's extraordinary requests for exemption to attract or retain staff, and special rules and procedures for university personnel involved in sponsored research or related activity.

Ethics Law Advice: The State Ethics Commission provides formal and informal ethics advice to persons and organizations subject to the provisions of the Public Ethics Law. Formal advice opinions are published with the Commission’s regulations in Title 19A of the Code of Maryland Regulations and in the Maryland Register. The Commission also provides mandatory ethics training to officials, employees and lobbyists.

Ethics Law Enforcement: The State Ethics Commission may file or receive complaints and investigates alleged violations of the Public Ethics Law. The Commission may enter into a settlement agreement or hold hearings on complaints, make findings of violations, assess late fees, recommend personnel action or petition the court to seek fines or take other action. The State Ethics Commission’s enforcement activities are confidential until it issues an Order subsequent to its finding of a violation, at which time the Order is available for public review at the Commission’s office. In addition to the assessment of late fees, recommendation of personnel action and petition to the court for fines or other action, the Commission may impose civil fines and suspend or revoke a lobbyist’s registration.