There is a Baltimore City Fair Election Fund. The Fund is a continuing, nonlapsing fund established under the authority of <cite data-doc="City of Baltimore, Md., Charter" data-path="I|§15">City Charter Article I, § 15</cite> {“Special fund for fair elections”}. As set forth in <cite data-doc="City of Baltimore, Md., Charter" data-path="I|§15|(a)|(2)">City Charter Article I, § 15(a)(2)</cite>, the purposes of the Fund include:providing direct funding to candidates for public office who meet certain qualifications; providing technical assistance and training to individuals seeking to make use of public campaign funding; publicizing the availability of public campaign funding; and administering a public campaign funding program. The Fund consists of:money appropriated to the Fund in the annual Ordinances of Estimates; grants or donations made to the Fund; any unspent money remaining in a certified candidate’s publicly funded campaign account after the candidate is no longer a candidate for office; any public contribution plus interest returned to the Fund by a participating candidate who withdraws from participation; interest earned on money in the Fund; and proceeds from fees and fines collected under this subtitle. The Fund may only be used for the purposes specified in subsection (c) of this section. Ord. 20-338

There is a Baltimore City Fair Election Fund Commission as specified in <cite data-doc="City of Baltimore, Md., Charter" data-path="I|§15|(b)">City Charter Article I, § 15(b)</cite>. The Department of Finance must provide staff support for the Commission to:work with the State Board to administer the Fund and to provide oversight of applicant and participating candidates; and provide information about the Fund to candidates and the public. Ord. 20-338

The Director, in consultation with the Commission, must administer the Fund and ensure that the funds are dispersed in an equitable basis. The Director may not disperse any funds from the Fund without prior Commission consultation. On or before January 1 of each year, the Commission must issue a report to the Mayor and City Council containing:an estimate of the funds necessary to implement the public campaign finance system for the following fiscal year; a recommendation for an appropriation to the Fund for the following fiscal year; and if necessary, any recommendations for dedicated sources of funding. The Commission must meet:at least once every 90 days during the 12 months preceding a primary election; and at least twice a year otherwise. Ord. 20-338

Subject to Title 4 {“Administrative Procedure Act – Regulations”} of the <cite data-path="|general">City General Provisions Article</cite>, the Director, in consultation with the Commission, must adopt rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of this subtitle, including specifying: how and when receipts for qualifying contributions from contributors must be submitted to the State Board; the documents that must be filed with the State Board for certification; when disbursements from the Fund are made to a participating candidate and the amounts disbursed; procedures for handling impermissible uses of public contributions; and other policies necessary to implement this subtitle. Ord. 20-338 Text Conformed 02/14/21 By authority of Ordinance 20-431, Section 5, the Director of Legislative Reference, in consultation with the Law Department, has conformed the text of this section to refer to and reflect the requirements of the recently-enacted Administrative Procedure Act that, effective January 15, 2021, governs the proposal, adoption, and publication of administrative rules and regulations.