Maryland Public Information Act Compliance Board

​

The Public Information Act Compliance Board hears complaints involving the imposition of fees under the Act. Specifically, a requester who is assessed a fee of more than $350 may file a complaint with the Board if the requester believes that the fee is unreasonable. The Board will issue a written opinion and, if the Board finds that the custodian charged an unreasonable fee, may order the custodian to reduce the fee to a reasonable amount or refund the excessive portion of a fee that was paid.

The Board cannot decide complaints that involve fees of less than $350, a custodian’s decision to deny a fee waiver request, ​​or that arise out of a government custodian's handling of a PIA request. Disputes involving these issues and other aspects of the PIA may be referred to the Public Access Ombudsman for mediation.

The PIA Compliance Board is an independent State entity, and its five members are appointed by the Governor. Although the PIA Compliance Board is not part of the Office of the Attorney General, this Office provides it with administrative staff and legal advice and also publishes its opinions and notices on this website. The PIA Compliance Board has no office or budget of its own.

​
Board Members and Staff

Board Members:

John H. West, III, Esq., Chair
Christopher A. Eddings ​
Deborah F. Moore-Carter
Michele L. Cohen, Esq.​
Darren S. Wigfield

Staff:

Sara Klemm, Assistant Attorney General, Counsel
Spencer Dove, Administrator​

Complaints

Before submitting a complaint to the PIA Compliance Board, please read the Compliance Board's Complaint Procedures

In addition, the Office of the Attorney General's Public Information Act Manual discusses fees in Chapter 7.  See the entire Manual here​. 

General meeting information

All meeting dates will be posted under "Meeting Notices" below.  The PIA Compliance Board will meet on a rolling basis as necessary to deliberate on complaints. Meetings may be held in person or by conference call.  Members of the public who are interested in attending those meetings or joining the conference call should check this webpage frequently for notices or sign up for e-mail notifications.  Sign-up requests may be sent to piaopengov@oag.state.md.us.

The PIA Compliance Board will hold an annual meeting between July 1 and September 25 of each year. When necessary, the Board may hold special meetings during the General Assembly's legislative session to respond to requests from the Legislature for comments on pending legislation.  Special meetings during a legislative session (generally, mid-January through early April) sometimes must be called on short notice. All meeting notices will be posted below. ​

Meeting Notices

No meeting scheduled at this time.

Past Meetings

The PIA Compliance Board met by videoconference on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. to discuss public comments on the regulatory proposal published on March 25, 2022, and other business.​

​