11,740

1

DELEGATE LINTON: Yes.

2

THE PRESIDENT: Is there a second to the amend-

3

ment?

4

Delegate Gleason seconds the amendment.

5

This will be Amendment 1-B which will delete fror

6

Amendment 1 the phrase "by bona fide farmers."

7

The amendment has been seconded. The Chair

8

recognizes Delegate Linton.

9

DELEGATE LINTON: Mr. President, I was in the

10

General Assembly when Mr. Blair Lee, Delegate Blair Lee

11

from Montgomery County , introduced the original farm assess-

12

ment provision. It was submitted to the voters of this

13

state as Judge Sherbow explained. The purpose of a farm

14

assessment provision in our Constitution was to protect

15

not especially the farmer himself but the furtherance of the

16

agricultural pursuits in the State of Maryland because the

17

property values of land for development greatly exceeds the

18

value of land for agricultural use. While perhaps -- I saw

19

recently the accurate figures on how many of our farms are

20

actually farmer-owned and it was alarming, it was in the

21

neighborhood of 70 percent of our farms are not owned by