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SECRETARY OF STATE

ORIGIN & FUNCTIONS

Fred L. Wineland Building, 16 Francis St., Annapolis, MD 21401


[photo, Wineland Building (State House in background), 16 Francis St., Annapolis, Maryland] The office of Secretary of State was created by constitutional amendment in 1838 to replace the Governor's Council (Chapter 197, Acts of 1836; Chapter 84, Acts of 1837).

Appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate, the Secretary of State attests to the Governor's signature on public papers and documents (Const., Art. II, secs. 22-23). The office is the repository for all executive orders and proclamations and is responsible for their distribution (Code State Government Article, secs. 3-404, 3-405). The Secretary of State also maintains records of all commissions issued and appointments made by the Governor (Code State Government Article, secs. 7-101 through 7-222).

Wineland Building (State House in background), 16 Francis St., Annapolis, Maryland, March 2014. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.


With regard to elections, the Secretary of State receives petitions to bring Acts of the General Assembly to referendum, and publishes them together with constitutional amendments to be voted upon in the general elections (Const., Art. XVI; Code Election Law Article, sec. 6-205). Upon the presidential primary ballot, the Secretary may place the names of those candidates determined to be advocated generally or recognized in the media (Code Election Law Article, sec. 8-502).

Bills adopted by the General Assembly and approved by the Governor are received and assigned chapter numbers by the Secretary of State (Code State Government Article, sec. 2-1511). The Secretary also advertises and records all the Governor's pardons and commutations.

The Secretary of State chairs the Governor's Subcabinet for International Affairs, and serves on the Governor's Executive Council, and the Board of State Canvassers.

Under the Secretary of State are three divisions: Administration and Support Services; Charities and Legal Services; and International.


ADMINISTRATION & SUPPORT SERVICES DIVISION

The Administration and Support Services Division began as Personnel Services and Operations, and reorganized as Administration and Human Resources in February 1999. It reformed as the Administration, Finance, and Human Resources Division in September 2003, and as the Support Services Division in April 2011. The Division adopted its present name in 2013.

The Division oversees the Division of State Documents, and is responsible for the general administrative functions of the Secretary of State.

DIVISION OF STATE DOCUMENTS
Fred L. Wineland Building, 16 Francis St., Annapolis, MD 21401

The Division of State Documents was created within the Office of the Secretary of State in 1974 (Chapter 600, Acts of 1974; Code State Government Article, secs. 7-201 through 7-222). Appointed by the Governor, the Administrator is responsible for publication of the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR), the Maryland Register, and the online versions of these publications.


CHARITIES & LEGAL SERVICES DIVISION

[photo, Jeffrey Building (now Wineland Building), 16 Francis St., Annapolis, Maryland] The Charities and Legal Services Division was formed July 1, 2000, from the merger of the Charitable Organizations Division with Legal Services and Registrations. Organized in 1997, Legal Services and Registrations had been concerned with condominiums, cooperatives, disclosures, housing authorities, notaries public, special police and railroad police, time-shares, and trade and service marks. Now, the Charities and Legal Services Division oversees those functions, and regulates charitable organizations, professional solicitors and fund-raising counsel that are required to register and file reports annually (Code Business Regulation Article, secs. 6-101 through 6-701).

Jeffrey Building (now Wineland Building), 16 Francis St., Annapolis, Maryland, June 2006. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.


CHARITIES & NOTARIES
Under the Charities and Legal Services Division, the Charitable Giving Information Program provides the public with access to information about charities so that they may give wisely. The Division also regulates raffles of real property by charitable organizations. Pursuant to Executive Order of January 1993, the Secretary of State administers the Maryland Charity Campaign for State employees and retirees.

LEGAL SERVICES

The Division also has certain legal duties regarding Condominiums; Cooperatives; Disclosures; Executive Orders; Extraditions; Housing Authorities; Notaries Public; Professional Fundraisers; Special Police and Railroad Police; Time-Shares; and Trade and Service Marks.


INTERNATIONAL DIVISION

The International Division of the Office of Secretary of State began as the Community and Governmental Relations Division. It reorganized as the Intergovernmental and International Relations Division in July 2000, as the International and Intergovernmental Division in October 2003, and by its present name early in 2004.

The Division's primary functions center on the Governor's Subcabinet for International Affairs, and the Maryland Sister States Program.

In international affairs, the Secretary of State represents Maryland and the Governor, and chairs the Governor's Subcabinet for International Affairs, which the Division staffs.

At public events, the Division represents the State of Maryland. It also informs the public about other functions of the Secretary of State, such as charitable registration and solicitation regulations, extradition, and the notary process.

MARYLAND SISTER STATES PROGRAM
The Maryland Sister States Program was initiated in 1986 under the Department of Economic and Employment Development. In 1995, it reorganized as the Sister States Group under the Office of International Trade within the Department of Business and Economic Development. On October 1, 2004, the Program transferred to the Office of the Secretary of State (Chapter 39, Acts of 2004; Code State Government Article, sec. 7-109).

The Program works to establish and foster relationships between Maryland and states in other countries. A sister-state relationship promotes cooperation and exchange programs for businesses and industry, educational and cultural institutions, and private citizens. Volunteer committees actively pursue contacts with their counterparts in each sister state, forming a network of resources to share in education, business, culture, medicine, law, transportation, sports, professional development, and women's issues.

Maryland has ten sister-state partnerships with: Anhui Province, China; State of Jalisco, Mexico; Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan; Gyeongsangnam Province, South Korea; City of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast, Russia; Lodz Region, Poland; State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Walloon Region, Belgium; Nord-Pas de Calais, France; and Bong County and Maryland County, Liberia.

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 Maryland Manual On-Line, 2015

July 1, 2015

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