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in which the houses shall be sitting, without the concurrent vote
of two-thirds of the members present of both Houses.

Sec. 16th. The enacting clause of every bill shall be, "Be it
enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland," and no law shall
be enacted except by Bill.

Sec. 17th. Any bill may originate in either house of the Gene
ral Assembly, and be altered, amended or rejected by the other,
but no Bill shall have the force of a law until it be read on three
different days in each House, unless in case of urgency three
fourths of the House, where such Bill is depending, shall dispense
with this rule

Sec. 18th. No Bill shall become a law unless passed in
each House by a majority of the whole number of members
elected, and on the question of its final passage the ayes and noes
shall be recorded-
Sec. 19th. No money shall be drawn from the Treasury of thi&
State but in consequence of appropriations made by law, an accu
rate statement. of the receipts and expenditure of public money
shall be attached to and published with the laws after each regu
lar session of the General Assembly.

Sec. 20th. No divorce shall be granted by the General Assem
bly, noi any tax or other burden be levied on the persons or pro
perty of the people for the support of any religious sect or de
nomination.

Sec. 21st. No loans shall be made upon the credit of this State
which are not redeemable at the pleasure of the State: except such
as may be authorised by an act of Assembly, passed at one session
and ratified and confirmed at the next succeeding regular session of
the General Assembly.
Sec. 22nd. No extra compensation shall be granted or allowed
by the General Assembly to any public officer, agent, servant or
contractor after the services shall have been rendered, or the con
tract entered into, nor shall the salary or compensation of any
public officer be increased or diminished during his term of office.

Sec. 23rd. No county now established by law, shall ever be
reduced by the establishment of any new county, to a population
of less than thousand, nor shall any new county be here
after established with a population of less than thousand.
Sec. 24th. No senator or delegate shall during the term for
which he shall have been elected be appointed to any civil office
in this State which shall have been created, or the salary or emolu
ments of which shall been increased during such term and no
senator or delegate during the time he shall continue to act as such,
shall be eligible to any civil office.

Sec. 25th. Each House may determine the rules of its own
proceedings, punish a member for disorderly or disrespectful beha
viour, and with the consent of two-thirds expel a member; but no
member shall be expelled a second time for the same offence.