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The General Assembly does not care
particularly about the bill so there is no
special session, which is possible here in
three different ways if they want one. Then,
they come back in the same elected Gen-
eral Assembly.
What is the reason then to bring this up?
If they really cared about it they could
slap the same bill at the governor, he could
have to give it back to them while they
are in session, and it could go into effect
just as fast as the old bill did.
Excuse me for being so complicated, but
I do not know of any other way to say this
thing. I cannot see the value of it.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Gallagher.
DELEGATE GALLAGHER: I believe
perhaps the legislature might not care
about some of the bills that were vetoed,
but might care about others, and I think it
would be more appropriate to take all the
vetoed bills up at the next regular session
for disposal, either overriding or concur-
rence, as the case might be.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Boyce.
DELEGATE BOYCE: Delegate Galla-
gher, that would seem to me a waste of
the legislature's time, because why take up
bills that they really do not care about?
Suppose they are constitutionally dif-
ferent. They are going to re-write them if
they want to get them through or if they
cared about them, they could have had a
special session.
It seems to me what we are doing here
is forcing the legislature to take up these
bills which they may not particularly want
to take up.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Gallagher.
DELEGATE GALLAGHER: In response
to that, there is only one way really, of
knowing whether or not the legislature
cares and that is by taking a vote as to
whether or not they wish to override the
governor.
Rather than going through the cumber-
some procedure of re-introducing a bill,
holding hearings and using the time of
the General Assembly it would seem much
better to have as your first order of busi-
ness the consideration of bills vetoed by
the governor.
I was a member of the General Assem-
bly which passed the constitutional amend-
ment, which provided this, for each year
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of the General Assembly's meeting except
the first year, and I found it to be a help-
ful practice.
I do not know about the other members
of the General Assembly, though.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Boyce.
DELEGATE BOYCE: I cannot agree
with you but thank you for answering my
question.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Weide-
meyer.
DELEGATE WEIDEMEYER: Would
the Chairman yield for a question or two?
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Morgan, do
you yield to a question?
DELEGATE MORGAN: I yield.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Weide-
meyer.
DELEGATE WEIDEMEYER: I thought
I heard during the course of discussion
that vetoed bills could only be considered
in a special session.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Morgan.
DELEGATE MORGAN: That is bills
that are vetoed after the sine die adjourn-
ment of the regular session; bills that are
vetoed during the regular session are re-
turned to that session and can be over-
ridden in that session, but this refers only
to bills that are referred after the sine die
adjournment of the regular session.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Weide-
meyer.
DELEGATE WEIDEMEYER: Section
4. 17 is very clear as to the bills which are
returned by the governor during the sitting
of the General Assembly, in that he shall
return them forthwith and they shall act
on them then. However, we have language
here, in addition to your language in lines
16 and 17, that the bill as returned by the
governor may be reconsidered by the Gen-
eral Assembly.
Do you interpret that line, 19 and 20,
as meaning only at a special session called
for the purpose of considering the vetoed
bills or would that refer to the next ses-
sion of the term of the General Assembly
which passed it?
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Morgan.
DELEGATE MORGAN: It is only a
special session.
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