Maryland's Open
Meetings Act
- Introduction
- Lesson One - What is the Act?
- Lesson Two - When Does the Act Apply?
- Lesson Three - Ground Rules for Meetings Subject to the Act
- Lesson Four - Closing a Meeting
- Lesson Five - Minutes
- Lesson Six - Enforcement of the Act
- Review
- Certificate
Maryland's Open Meetings Act
An online class offered jointly by the University of Maryland's Institute for Governmental Service and Research and the Maryland Attorney General's Office.
Lesson One - What is the Act?
Policy, Purpose, and Effect
The Maryland Open Meetings Act is contained in Title 3 of the Annotated Code of Maryland, General Provisions Article, §§ 3-101 through 3-501. Initially enacted in 1977 to foster transparency in government, both at the state and local levels, the Open Meetings Act strikes a balance between the need for openness in the conduct of public business and the need of public bodies to keep certain types of information confidential.
The Act sets forth the Maryland General Assembly's statement of its legislative policy.
It is essential to the maintenance of a democratic society that, except in special and appropriate circumstances:
- public business be performed openly and publicly; and
- the public be allowed to observe:
- the performance of public officials; and
- the deliberations and decisions that the making of public policy involves.
Reference Citation: §3-102 PDF version
