2.60.060 OIG roles and responsibilities.
(a) In accordance with the Public Utilities Article, Title 17, Subtitle 6, Annotated Code of Maryland, the Office may investigate misconduct, mismanagement, fraud, waste, and abuse at the Commission.
(b) The Office is responsible for:
(1) Conducting an investigation authorized by this chapter;
(2) Declining investigations that do not meet the criteria in subsection (c) of this section;
(3) Referring credible allegations determined to be within the purview of management or another entity and not the purview of the Office;
(4) Reporting significant frauds and irregularities impacting the Commission to the Commissioners;
(5) Reporting of serious violations of federal, state, or local law or Commission regulation to:
(i) An appropriate law enforcement agency;
(ii) The State Ethics Commission;
(iii) The Commission Board of Ethics;
(iv) Any other agency with jurisdiction to enforce the law;
(6) Complying with the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) quality standards for investigations involving fraud, waste, and abuse;
(7) Handling all criminal matters pertaining to this chapter including participation in investigations and making appropriate referrals;
(8) Serving as the primary WSSC contact for the third-party fraud, waste, and abuse hotline provider;
(9) Managing the third-party hotline provider contract; and
(10) Conducting follow-up reviews to ensure that, where applicable, corrective action has been implemented.
(c)
(1) The Office may decline to investigate a matter if the matter meets one of the following criteria:
(i) The matter does not engender a significant suspicion of a violation of law, regulation, or standard procedure;
(ii) The matter is in adjudication by a court of law or by the State Office of Administrative Hearings;
(iii) The matter is on an appeal within the Commission if the appeal is authorized by WSSC regulations; or
(iv) Another entity has complete or primary jurisdiction over the matter.
(2) If the matter does not meet the criteria in this subsection, the Office may send a letter of declination to the complainant.
(3) The Office may decide to provide the Commissioners or the GM/CEO, or both, a copy of the declination letter to inform them of the impending release of the letter.
(4) A letter of declination may be formally labeled as a letter of declination.
(5) A letter of declination may be made publicly available on the OIG web page.
(d) If a matter contains both allegations of fraud, waste, or abuse and violations of equal employment opportunity laws, workplace harassment, or retaliation, the Inspector General shall consult with the Equal Opportunities Officer before proceeding with the investigation. (Document dated July 1, 2020)