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<section article="ggp" article_name="General Provisions" number="5-516" title_number="5" title_name="Maryland Public Ethics Law" subtitle_number="5" subtitle_name="Conflicts of Interest">
  <level label="a">
    <text>A complaint alleging that a member of the General Assembly may have violated standards of ethical conduct, including § 2–108 of the State Government Article, may be filed with the Joint Ethics Committee by:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>a written statement from any person, accompanied by an affidavit, setting forth the facts on which the statement is based;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>motion of a majority of the membership of the Joint Ethics Committee; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>referral of a matter to the Joint Ethics Committee by a presiding officer of the General Assembly as provided in § 2–706(a)(5) of the State Government Article.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Joint Ethics Committee shall provide a copy of each complaint filed under subsection (a) of this section to the presiding officer of the house of the legislator who is the subject of the complaint.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Based on the information contained in a complaint provided to a presiding officer under paragraph (1) of this subsection, if a presiding officer determines that it is inappropriate for a Joint Ethics Committee member from that house to consider a particular matter, the presiding officer shall appoint a substitute member to the Joint Ethics Committee for its consideration of the matter.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
