{"data":{"id":"us-md/md.-code-state-finance-and-procurement-14-308","jurisdiction":"us-md","citation":"Md. Code, State Finance and Procurement § 14–308","heading":"","body":"(a) (1) A person may not:\n(i) fraudulently obtain, hold, or attempt to obtain or hold certification;\n(ii) aid another person in performing an act prohibited under item (i) of this paragraph;\n(iii) willfully obstruct, impede, or attempt to obstruct or impede a State official or employee investigating the qualifications of a business entity that has requested certification;\n(iv) fraudulently obtain, attempt to obtain, or aid another person in fraudulently obtaining or attempting to obtain, public money to which the person is not entitled under this subtitle; or\n(v) in any minority business enterprise matter administered under this subtitle:\n1. willfully falsify, conceal, or cover up a material fact by any scheme or device;\n2. make a false or fraudulent statement or representation; or\n3. use a false writing or document that the person knows to contain a false or fraudulent statement or entry.\n(2) Except as otherwise provided by law, a contractor may not identify a certified minority business enterprise in a bid or proposal and:\n(i) fail to request, receive, or otherwise obtain authorization from the certified minority business enterprise to identify the certified minority business enterprise in its bid or proposal;\n(ii) fail to notify the certified minority business enterprise before execution of the contract of its inclusion of the bid or proposal;\n(iii) fail to use the certified minority business enterprise in the performance of the contract; or\n(iv) pay the certified minority business enterprise solely for the use of its name in the bid or proposal.\n(3) A person who violates any provision of this subsection is guilty of a felony and on conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $20,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 5 years or both.\n(b) (1) A person may not make a false statement about whether an entity has certification.\n(2) A person who violates this subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $2,500 or imprisonment not exceeding 1 year or both.\n(c) The Governor’s Office of Small, Minority, and Women Business Affairs shall make available a fraud hotline for reporting violations of this section.","path":["Article - State Finance and Procurement"],"source_url":"https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gsf\u0026section=14-308","current_through":"2026-01-01","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T20:00:48Z","sha256":"d429fae2fff529e99f2616146ce8447ad08f099fa83634a4f0f495feb8a0e4eb","source_id":"us-md","stale":false,"prev":"us-md/md.-code-state-finance-and-procurement-14-307","next":"us-md/md.-code-state-finance-and-procurement-14-309"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}