Maryland has enacted new ethics laws requiring governors to place their financial interests in blind trusts or completely disinvest. This was initiated after former Governor Larry Hogan faced scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest regarding housing awards given to clients of his real estate firm. Delegate Marc Korman advocated for the law to enhance accountability and prevent personal financial interests from interfering with governance. Passed unanimously, the change aims to reinforce public trust in state leadership and the decision-making process.
The bill, authored by Democratic Delegate Marc Korman, passed unanimously in both chambers of the Maryland statehouse this spring.
We do want to make sure that you know any future governor is definitely acting on the people's behalf and not their own behalf.
Over Hogan's eight years in office, nearly 40% of the competitive affordable housing awards overseen by the governor went to developers listed as clients on Hogan's real estate firm's website.
The instigating moment that triggered the legislation was a TIME report last October on former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's approval of millions of dollars in affordable housing awards.
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