While the General Assembly is only in session 90 days of the year, the Executive branch of government is creating regulations through the entire year. All Maryland’s regulations may be found in the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR). COMAR is the official compilation of all regulations issued by Maryland agencies. Any change to the regulations published in COMAR must first be published in the Maryland Register. The following information is also published regularly in the Maryland Register:
• Governor’s Executive Orders;
• Attorney General’s Opinions in full text;
• Open Meetings Compliance Board Opinions in full text;
• State Ethics Commission Opinions in full text;
• Court Rules;
• District Court Administrative Memoranda;
• Courts of Appeal Hearing Calendars;
• Agency Hearing and Meeting Notices;
• Synopses of Bills Introduced and Enacted by the General Assembly; and
• Other documents considered to be in the public interest.
You may participate in the regulatory process to adopt, amend, or repeal administrative regulations, and you may also initiate the process by which the validity and applicability of regulations is determined. Listed below are some of the ways in which citizens may participate by:
• submitting data or views on proposed regulations either orally or in writing, to the proposing agency (see ‘‘Opportunity for Public Comment’’ at the beginning of all regulations appearing in the Proposed Action on Regulations section of the Maryland Register);
• petitioning an agency to adopt, amend, or repeal regulations. The agency must respond to the petition;
• petitioning an agency to issue a declaratory ruling with respect to how any regulation, order, or statute enforced by the agency applies;
• petitioning the circuit court for a declaratory judgment on the validity of a regulation when it appears that the regulation interferes with or impairs the legal rights or privileges of the petitioner; or
• inspecting a certified copy of any document filed with the Division of State Documents for publication in the Maryland Register.
Testify
Committee hearings offer citizens one of the most effective opportunities to communicate their views and concerns about individual legislation. The committee process is designed to gather input from the public on bills that legislators have introduced in the General Assembly. You are encouraged to attend hearings and offer oral and written testimony. In order to testify, before a hearing begins, you must sign a witness sheet that is available outside of each committee’s room. You should also deliver your written testimony to committee staff at a designated time before hearings begin. We are willing to assist constituents to sign up to testify. The Senate’s standing committee rooms are in the Miller Senate Building. House standing committee rooms are in the House Lowe Office Building.
The weekly Hearing Schedule includes the times of each committee’s hearings. Most hearings begin at 1:00 p.m. Committee chairs will determine the order for which the bills will be heard, which may not be the order in which the bills are listed in the Hearing Schedule. The committee chairs may also limit testimony due to time constraints.
Additional State information and opportunities to get involved:
Additional Local Government information and opportunities to get involved:
Upcoming Meetings: