<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<baltimore-city-law heading="Subtitle 1 – Findings; Policy; Short Title">
  <section prefix="§" num="1-1" heading="Findings.">
    <para num="(a)" heading="Trust in government essential.">The Mayor and City Council of Baltimore recognizes that our system of representative government largely depends on the people’s trust in their public servants.</para>
    <para num="(b)" heading="Need for impartiality.">The citizens of Baltimore City rely on their public servants to preserve their safety, health, and welfare through fair and impartial enforcement of laws, imposition of taxes, and expenditure of public funds.</para>
    <para num="(c)" heading="Citizens’ right of reliance.">Each citizen of Baltimore City has a right to be assured of the fair, impartial, and independent judgment of all public servants.</para>
    <annotation type="History">Ord. 04-795</annotation>
    <annotation type="Defined Terms">Public servant	§2-23</annotation>
  </section>
  <section prefix="§" num="1-2" heading="Goals; purpose.">
    <text>To guard against improper influence or even the appearance of improper influence, and to ensure public trust in the government, the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore enacts &lt;cite data-path="|8"&gt;this article&lt;/cite&gt; to:</text>
    <para num="(1)">set minimum ethical standards of conduct for City officials and employees;</para>
    <para num="(2)">require certain officials and employees to disclose their financial interests;</para>
    <para num="(3)">require persons engaged in lobbying activities to register and disclose those activities; and</para>
    <para num="(4)">generally protect the public welfare.</para>
    <annotation type="History">Ord. 04-795</annotation>
    <annotation type="Defined Terms">Employee	§2-9</annotation>
    <annotation type="Defined Terms">Financial interest	§2-16</annotation>
    <annotation type="Defined Terms">Interest	§2-19</annotation>
    <annotation type="Defined Terms">Official	§2-21</annotation>
    <annotation type="Defined Terms">Person	§2-22</annotation>
  </section>
  <section prefix="§" num="1-3" heading="Short title.">
    <text>&lt;cite data-path="|8"&gt;This article&lt;/cite&gt; may be cited as the “Baltimore City Public Ethics Law”.</text>
    <annotation type="History">Ord. 04-795</annotation>
  </section>
</baltimore-city-law>
