Bill > SB35

This bill establishes new educational and professional requirements for municipal financial officials in Maryland, effective July 1, 2025. Specifically, beginning June 30, 2030, municipalities must ensure that comptrollers, treasurers, and other employees responsible for financial oversight, fund management, and financial reporting meet strict qualifications. These qualifications include completing 27 semester hours of accounting coursework (with specific requirements in areas like accounting information systems, ethics, auditing, and financial accounting), holding at least a bachelor's degree in accounting, business administration, finance, public administration, or a related field from an accredited institution, and having at least 5 years of full-time employment experience in accounting or finance, including 3 years in a supervisory role. Additionally, municipalities must establish continuing education requirements to ensure ongoing professional development in areas such as ethics in financial management, government accounting, and municipal finance. The bill also mandates that municipalities maintain public records of these officials' qualifications and include this information in their annual reports to the Legislative Auditor. The Legislative Auditor will be required to review these records and include compliance information in their annual report, providing increased transparency and accountability for municipal financial management.

Education

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/SB0035?ys=2025RS