Overview
- The Maryland Office of Legislative Audits found more than $1.1 million spent since 2017 on media and promotional items without documentation of public need or cost justification.
- Payments for media production were split into transactions below the $5,000 competitive‐bidding threshold to evade formal procurement rules.
- The office paid $197,000 to produce an informational television series that was shelved after an internal review found insufficient public interest.
- Auditors referred potential ethics breaches—including an undisclosed vendor relationship and improper payroll payments—to the State Ethics Commission.
- Belinda Conaway rejected the audit’s conclusions as unsubstantiated but agreed to implement all recommendations to consolidate purchases, solicit competitive bids and bolster oversight.