ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Gov. Larry Hogan has signed an ethics reform bill in the aftermath of ethics and criminal investigations of state lawmakers.
The Republican governor called it "the first meaningful ethics reform in 15 years" during a bill signing ceremony Tuesday, where he penned more than 100 bills.
The bill more carefully describes the definition of a conflict of interest. It also expands disclosure requirements for state officials.
The legislature was bedeviled by state and federal criminal investigations that became public from the start of its 90-day session to within days of its ending Monday night. Separately, the House of Delegates voted to reprimand a member in March for using his position to advocate for changes in awarding licenses to medical marijuana producers that could have benefited a company that employed him.
