Financial Disclosure Glossary

GLOSSARY OF DEFINED TERMS
Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the following words have the following meanings in the Financial Disclosure Statement:
Agency or County agency Business Commission Common trust fund Compensation Confidential relationship Consumer credit account Doing business with Employment or employ Gift Immediate family Interest or economic interest Lobbying Lobbyist Public employee Relative Reversionary interest Revocable trust Qualified Relative Reporting period Year
Agency or County agency
(1)	any department, principal office of the executive or legislative branch of County government:
(2)	any board, commission, committee, task force or similar body appointed by the County Executive or County Council:
(3)	the Revenue Authority, the Housing Opportunities Commission, and the Board of License Commissioners;
(4)	each independent fire department or rescue squad that receives funds from the County or uses property owned by the County; and
(5)	Agency or County agency, as used in this form, does not include the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC) and the Montgomery County Planning Board, or the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC). These are all state-created agencies which are not subject to the County ethics law.
Business
any for profit or non profit enterprise, including a corporation, general or limited partnership, sole proprietorship, joint venture, association, firm, institute, trust or foundation. Business does not include a County Agency , but includes an independent fire department or rescue squad
Commission
the Montgomery County Ethics Commission, established under Section 19A-5 of the County Code
Common trust fund
A trust fund set up by a bank trust department to combine the assets of many small trusts for greater diversification
Compensation
any money or thing of value, regardless of form, including the sale or delivery of tangible or intangible property, that an employer pays or agrees to pay for services rendered
Confidential relationship
a confidential relationship exists if the relationship between two persons creates a privilege against testifying under state law. This term includes only the following relationships: Attorney - Client Accountant - Client Clergy - Parishioner News Media - Source Psychiatrist/Psychologist - Patient Social Worker - Client Psychiatric Mental Heatlh Nurse Specialist - Patient Spouse - Spouse
Consumer credit account
an open ended credit account used to obtain money, property or services for personal, family or household purposes
Doing business with
(1)	being a party with a County agency to a transaction that involves at least $1,000 during a year;
(2)	negotiating a transaction with a County agency that involves at least $1,000 during a year; or
(3)	submitting a bid or proposal to a County agency for a transaction that involves at least $1,000 during a year
Employment or employ
engaging in an activity for compensation
Gift
the transfer of anything of economic value, regardless of form, without an exchange of consideration of equal value. Gift does not include a transfer regulated by state law governing political campaigns or elections
Immediate family
spouse and dependent children. For a public employee immediate family also includes the employee’s domestic partner if the partner is receiving county benefits
Interest or economic interest
any source of income or any other legal or equitable economic interest, whether or not subject to an encumbrance or a condition, which is owned or held, in whole or in part, jointly or severally, directly or indirectly. Interest does not include:
(1)	an interest in a time deposit (for example, Certificate of Deposit) or demand deposit (for example, savings account in a financial institution) or in a money market fund with assets of at least $10,000,000;
(2)	an interest in a insurance policy, endowment policy, or annuity contract under which an insurance company promises to pay a fixed number of dollars, whether in a lump sum or periodically for life or some other specified period; or
(3)	an interest in a common trust fund or a trust that forms part of a pension plan or profit sharing plan that:
	(a)	has more than 25 participants; and
	(b)	the Internal Revenue Service has determined qualifies as a trust under Sections 401 and 501 of the Internal Revenue Code
(4)	an interest in a deferred compensation plan that:
	(a)	has more than 25 participants; and
	(b)	the Internal Revenue Service has determined qualifies under Section 457 of the Internal Revenue Code.
Lobbying
any attempt to influence any legislative, executive, or administrative action by a County agency
Lobbyist
any individual or organization who spends money or is compensated to influence legislative, executive, or administrative action by a County agency
Public employee
(1)	the County Executive and each member of the County Council;
(2)	any person employed by a County agency ,including the director of the agency;
(3)	any person appointed by the County Executive or County Council to a board, commission, committee, task force, or similar body, whether or not:
	(a)	the person is compensated for serving on the body; or
	(b)	the body is permanent or temporary;
(4)	any member of the Revenue Authority, the Housing Opportunities Commission or the Board of License Commissioners; and
(5)	any other person providing service without compensation to a County agency if that person:
	(a)	exercises any responsibilities for government-funded programs, procurement, or contract administration for an agency; or
	(b)	has access to confidential information of an agency that relates to government-funded programs, procurement, or contract administration
Relative
(1)	the public employee’s siblings, parents, grandparents, children, or grandchildren;
(2)	the public employee’s spouse or domestic partner receiving County benefits, and the spouse’s or partner’s siblings, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren; and
(3)	the spouses of these relatives
Reversionary interest
a right to obtain in the future an interest in property; a reversionary interest is often subject to conditions such as passage of time or death of another
Revocable trust
a trust in which the person who creates the trust retains the right to terminate the trust and recover the property put in the trust
Qualified Relative
A relative who:
(1)	is not registered, or is not required to register, as a lobbyist on a matter that is or could be considered by the County agency with which the filer is affiliated;
(2)	does not do business with a County agency with which the filer is affiliated; or
(3)	does not own or operate a business that is regulated by the County agency with which the filer is affiliated.
Reporting period
the previous calendar year (except when an employee leaves public employment; in that case, the time after the employee's last previous annual statement)
Year
calendar year