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<section article="gsp" article_name="State Personnel and Pensions" number="5-310" title_number="5" title_name="Employee Rights and Protections" subtitle_number="3" subtitle_name="Maryland Whistleblower Law in the Executive Branch of State Government">
  <level label="a">
    <text>A complainant may appeal to the Office of Administrative Hearings:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>within 10 days after receiving a decision under § 5-309 of this subtitle; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>when a decision is not issued within 60 days after the complaint is filed and the complainant requests a hearing.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Office of Administrative Hearings shall conduct a hearing on each appeal in accordance with Title 10, Subtitle 2 of the State Government Article. The Office is bound by any regulation, declaratory ruling, prior adjudication, or other settled, preexisting policy, to the same extent as the Department is or would have been bound if it were hearing the case.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>A record that is protected from disclosure under Title 4 of the General Provisions Article may be used as evidence in a hearing only if:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>the material is essential to the conduct of the hearing; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>names and other identifying information are deleted to the extent necessary to maintain confidentiality.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>The confidentiality of records and information protected from disclosure under Title 4 of the General Provisions Article shall be maintained in each hearing.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>Within 45 days after the close of the hearing record, the Office of Administrative Hearings shall issue to the parties a written decision and may grant any appropriate relief under subsection (d) of this section.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The decision of the Office of Administrative Hearings is final.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>A complainant who prevails at a hearing may be awarded any appropriate relief, including:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>any remedial action allowed under § 5-309(e) of this subtitle; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>costs of litigation and reasonable attorney's fees.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>A complainant or appointing authority may appeal the decision issued under subsection (c) of this section in accordance with § 10-222 of the State Government Article.</text>
  </level>
</section>
