LEGISLATIVE PROCESS
After the Department of Legislative Reference
drafts legislation in the form of a bill or a joint
resolution, the sponsor files it, "drops it into the
hopper", with the Secretary of the Senate or the
Chief Clerk of the House of Delegates. A bill or
resolution is numbered, stamped for approval and
codification by the Department of Legislative Ref-
erence (Senate Rule 26; House Rule 26), and
printed for first reading. Senate legislation appears
on white paper and House legislation on blue pa-
per.
The Constitution of Maryland requires that be-
fore any bill becomes law, it must be read on three
different days in each house, for a total of six read-
ings. A bill may not be read for the third time in its
house of origin until it has been reprinted. The
Constitution also specifies that a bill must be passed
in each house by a majority vote of the total mem-
bership, and the final vote on third reading in each
house must be recorded.

STANDING COMMITTEES
Standing committees are defined as those com-
mittees set forth in the Rules of the Senate or the
Rules of the House of Delegates (Code State Gov-
ernment Article, sec. 2-101 (f)). Their primary func-
tion is to consider all legislation referred to them by
the Senate President or House Speaker.
To review proposed legislation, the Senate has
four standing legislative committees and the House
has six (Senate Rule 18; House Rule 18). At the
beginning of each session, the Senate President and
House Speaker appoint the members of standing
committees and designate chairpersons and vice-
chairpersons. A senator or delegate may not be
appointed to more than one standing committee
whose main function is to consider legislation.
The rules of each chamber require every bill to
be referred by the presiding officer to the appropri-
ate standing committee (Senate Rule 33; House
Rule 33). An exception is made for bills which are
strictly local with no statewide impact. Such bills
are referred instead to select committees. A select
committee is usually composed of a county's dele-
gation in the House or its senators, with other
members appointed as necessary to make up the
minimum number of three. Counties without home
rule keep their select committees busy.
The Senate or House of Delegates may suspend
rules in order to consider a bill or resolution with-
out referring it to a standing committee as long as
each member receives a copy of the bill or resolution
to be so considered (Senate Rule 33(f); House Rule
33(f)).

BUDGET BILL

The Constitution provides for an annual budget
bill. Each year, the Governor presents a bill to the
General Assembly containing the budget for State

government for the next fiscal year. (In Maryland,
the fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30.) The
budget, however supplemented or amended, must
be balanced; total estimated revenues always must
be equal to or exceed total appropriations (Const.,
Art. III, sec. 52(5a)). If the General Assembly has
not acted upon the budget bill seven days before
the expiration of a regular session, the Governor, by
proclamation, may extend the session for action to
be taken on the bill. After both houses pass the
budget bill, it becomes law without further action
(Const., Art. III, sec. 52).

INTRODUCTION OF BILL
(1ST READING OF BILL)

A bill may be introduced throughout the ninety
days of a session, but the later a bill is introduced,
the more difficult its passage becomes. Any Senate
bill introduced after the 24th calendar day of a
session must be referred to the Senate Rules Com-
mittee, cannot be required to be returned to the
floor except by a two-thirds vote of the member-
ship, and may not be petitioned from committee
(Senate Rule 32). A House bill introduced after the
45th calendar day must be referred to the House
Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, re-
quires a two-thirds vote to be returned to the floor,
and cannot be petitioned from committee (House
Rule 32). For a bill to be introduced during the last
35 days of a session, the rules must be suspended
by a two-thirds vote (Const., Art. III, sec. 27).
Except for the annual budget bill and bills creating
or amending State debts, a House bill that crosses
over to the Senate after the 76th day of session is
subject to the same restrictions as is a bill introduced
after the 24th day

COMMITTEES

The committee system is a vital part of the
legislative process. Rules of each house require that
every bill or joint resolution, with one exception, be
referred to a standing committee after first reading
(Senate Rule 33; House Rule 33). Bills having a
purely local impact are referred to select committees
composed of the local delegation or the local Sena-
tors. The fate of most legislative proposals is deter-
mined in committee. Committees hold a public
hearing on each bill or joint resolution assigned to
them. During session, the Department of Legisla-
tive Reference publishes a weekly hearing schedule
so that those interested may testify for or against
proposed legislation. The Department of Fiscal
Services prepares a fiscal analysis for each bill and
these fiscal notes are considered during committee
deliberations. At the committee hearing, testimony
usually is heard from the bill's sponsor and other
proponents and opponents of the bill. Testimony
and further consideration may result in amend-
ments to the bill made by the committee. The final
vote of the committee is recorded by member, and