10,653

1

the same way we have been organized here. I would direct

2

your attention perhaps to the meat or thrust of the

3

whole GP-8. It would be in the first sentence "The

4

General Assembly may by law call a Constitutional Con-

5

vention at any time or at any time submit to the voters

6

of the state the question of calling a Constitutional

7

Convention."

8

We felt there was a need of the first sentence

9

giving the General Assembly the authority to call the

10

convention. We learned the authority for calling the

11

convention was probably inherent in the state legislature

12

and there were several Court of Appeals cases in Maryland

13

on this point. We found that thirty-eight state

14

constitutions provide for calling of the convention and

15

all except one of the remaining states have called conven-

16

tions at one time or another.

17

However, we felt this principle had been the

18

cause for great dispute requiring sometimes court

19

adjudication. We felt we should spell out not just inherent

20

power of the legislature to call the convention but spell

21

it out in our present Constitution, because the inherent