Chapter 08. Conflicts of Interest Policy for Employees Who Own or Operate a Farm

Any contract with the Department;

Any regulatory or enforcement action;

Any Department program that controls, or in any way regulates the employee's farm operation; or

Any matter that will have a direct and predictable effect on the employee's financial interest in the employee's farm operation, including such a matter involving:

Any Department employee who owns or operates a farm is subject to all applicable provisions of the Ethics Law.

For example, the Ethics Law, in part, prohibits employees from participating in matters in which the employee or a relative has a financial or other interest under State Government Article, §15-501, Annotated Code of Maryland.

The Ethics Law contains restrictions on:

The Ethics Law precludes employees from intentionally using the prestige of their position to benefit themselves or others, under State Government Article, §15-606, Annotated Code of Maryland, and State Government Article, §2-307, Annotated Code of Maryland.

The Ethics Law precludes disclosure or use of confidential information acquired by reason of the employee's public position and not yet available to the public:

In accordance with State Government Article, §15-601, Annotated Code of Maryland, employees may be subject to financial disclosure provisions and may be required to file annual statements if identified as being required to file under that section.

Making each employee aware of the requirements of this chapter;

Ensuring that each employee who has an outside farm business acknowledges that the employee has read and agrees to be bound by the requirements of this chapter;

Ensuring that each employee subject to this chapter has executed a nonparticipation agreement with the Department that requires the employee to designate a representative to interact with the Department on matters involving the employee's farming business, and directs the employee to acknowledge that the employee may not participate in any way in any decision regarding any complaint or question regarding their farming business;

Keeping records for each employee who is subject to the requirements of this chapter; and

Monitoring and enforcing employee compliance with the requirements of this chapter.

The number of employees hired by the Department, on or after October 1, 2007, who own or operate a farm;

The positions for which the employees identified in this regulation were hired; and

Information on how the Department addressed any conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest in hiring the employees identified in this regulation.