Ch. 406

1996 LAWS OF MARYLAND

FOR the purpose of altering provisions of law relating to the conflict of interest standards
applicable to officials and employees within public senior higher education
institutions who are engaged in certain research and development activities;
broadening the application of the exemption from certain ethics laws; altering the
standards for the adoption of certain policies and procedures; requiring the governing
board of an educational institution to provide written notice to the Ethics Commission of
certain exemptions granted to certain officials; requiring the governing board of an
educational institution to provide certain quarterly reports regarding certain exemptions
to the Governor, the Legislative Policy Committee of the General Assembly, and the
Ethics Commission; and generally relating to the exemption under certain
circumstances of certain individuals from provisions of the Ethics Law.

BY adding to

Article - Education

Section 15-107

Annotated Code of Maryland

(1992 Replacement Volume and 1995 Supplement)

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments,
Article - State Government
Section 15-523
Annotated Code of Maryland
(1995 Replacement Volume)

Preamble

WHEREAS, Newly adopted federal regulations require institutions participating
in federally funded research to adopt certain procedures for the prevention and/or
management of conflicts of interest; and

WHEREAS, Maryland economic development requires that the State's public
higher education institutions be strongly encouraged to bring the results of their basic and
applied research to bear in the design, development, production, and marketing of new
and improved products, services, and processes; and

WHEREAS, This process will involve institutional initiatives such as
industry-sponsored research, incubator programs, technology licensing agreements,
research parks, institutional and employee ownership of equity in start-up companies,
technical assistance and continuing education programs, and other forms of cooperative
economic development efforts; and

WHEREAS, These mechanisms often require working relationships between
these institutions, their faculty, and their administrators, and private sector industries,
which may be inconsistent with the strict application of provisions in the Maryland Public
Ethics Law; and

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