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Terms Used In Maryland Code, ELECTION LAW 13-235

  • Legislative session: That part of a chamber's daily session in which it considers legislative business (bills, resolutions, and actions related thereto).
  • Person: includes an individual, receiver, trustee, guardian, personal representative, fiduciary, representative of any kind, corporation, partnership, business trust, statutory trust, limited liability company, firm, association, or other nongovernmental entity. See
  • state: means :

    (1) a state, possession, territory, or commonwealth of the United States; or

    (2) the District of Columbia. See
(a) This section applies to the following officials:

(1) the Governor;

(2) the Lieutenant Governor;

(3) the Attorney General;

(4) the Comptroller; and

(5) a member of the General Assembly.

(b) Except as provided in subsection (c), (d), or (e) of this section, during a regular session of the General Assembly an official described in subsection (a) of this section, or a person acting on behalf of the official, may not, as to a candidate for federal, State, or local office, or a campaign finance entity of the candidate or any other campaign finance entity organized under this title and operated in coordination with a candidate:

(1) receive a contribution;

(2) conduct a fund-raising event;

(3) solicit a contribution; or

(4) deposit or use any contribution of money that was not deposited prior to the session.

(c) An official described in subsection (a) of this section, or a person acting on behalf of the official, is not subject to this section when engaged in activities solely related to the official’s election to an elective federal or local office for which the official is a filed candidate.

(d) Under the Public Financing Act, a gubernatorial ticket, during the year of the election only, may accept eligible private contributions and any disbursement of funds by the State Board that is based on the eligible private contributions.

(e) An official described in subsection (a) of this section, or a person acting on behalf of the official, may deposit a contribution during the legislative session if the contribution was made electronically before the start of the session.

(f) (1) As to a violation of this section, the campaign finance entity of the official in violation is liable for a civil penalty as provided in § 13-604.1 of this title.

(2) A civil penalty imposed under this subsection shall be distributed to the Fair Campaign Financing Fund established under § 15-103 of this article.