Maryland lawmakers introduce bill to protect inspector general investigations
Maryland lawmakers introduced legislation to protect inspector general investigations across the state.
The proposed bipartisan bill clarifies that inspectors general are not subject to standard Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request restrictions when conducting official investigations.
The proposed bill, sponsored by House delegates Vaughn Stewart and Ryan Nawrocki, comes after inspectors general in several jurisdictions were denied access to records by governmental agencies.
Inspectors general have been told to follow the same MPIA procedures as outside requesters, despite possessing statutory subpoena authority, according to inspectors general. They also say the records historically available to investigators have been withheld, which hinders an active investigation.
"When the subject of an investigation gets to control the evidence, oversight is a sham," said Del. Stewart. "Inspectors general don't work for the agencies they investigate, they work for the public. When there's waste, fraud, or abuse, Marylanders deserve the truth, and they deserve it now."
"Inspectors general exist to uncover waste, fraud, and abuse, not to wait in line like a member of the public," said Del. Nawrocki. "If an agency under investigation can deny records by forcing an MPIA process, oversight becomes optional. Our bill ensures inspectors general can do the job taxpayers expect: complete, independent investigations that hold government accountable."
Baltimore's Inspector General sues over blocked investigations
Baltimore's Office of Inspector General (OIG) filed a lawsuit against the city after the inspector general said she was blocked from seeing documents that are essential to her job.
The lawsuit aims to stop Baltiimore from interfering with the inspector general's investigations.
Baltimore Inspector General Isabel Cumming said the city refused to comply with a subpoena by trying to recategorize it as a request under the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA), per advice from an attorney with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General (OAG).
The lawsuit claims Baltimore presented the OIG with heavily redacted documents. It also says that the Baltimore City Charter authorizes the Office of the Inspector General to issue and enforce subpoenas "in any court of competent jurisdiction."
The lawsuit says the city's actions "hampered the OIG's ability to monitor its confidential investigative database."
Cumming claims to have had access to information from city offices since 2018. However, she said in June 2025, the city suddenly switched from its "longstanding practice of cooperating with the OIG, instead asserting for the very first time in OIG history that subpoenas issued by the OIG are subject to the MPIA."