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this was the thinking of the delegates. I
did not make a point of telling him so.
I did report to my Executive Branch Com-
mittee that we had talked it over with the
Legislative Committee. I know that the
subcommittee reported back to the Legis-
lative Committee and told them that we
discussed this matter.
I cannot quite understand why it was not
really put to the Committee itself, because
it is certainly one of the most modern ways
of doing budget making today. I completely
disagree with Delegate Adkins that there
is any danger in it. There is not any
danger in it. I do not think the legislature
would take the University of Maryland's
budget and put it some place else. It is
irresponsible talk and does not make any
sense.
It is also irresponsible to say something
has been satisfactory for a few years and
therefore it will be satisfactory in the
future. We have to open our minds. I can
think of no substantial argument why this
should not be given to the General As-
sembly. We say we are making the General
Assembly important. We say we are raising
your salary, and lengthening your term of
office. We say we want responsible people
there.
They certainly have the right to suggest
some programs that the people may want
that the governor may not see fit to bring forward.
This is what we are actually doing, is
letting people, through the legislative
branch, have a chance to increase their
budget. It will not be a harmful situation
because it cannot create a deficit budget.
I think this is very important, that this
be given a lot of consideration by every-
body here, and it should be voted on
favorably.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any other dele-
gate desire to speak in opposition?
Delegate Willis.
DELEGATE WILLIS: Will the delegate
who proposed this yield to several ques-
tions?
THE CHAIRMAN: Let me find out if
anyone desires to speak in opposition to the
amendment first.
Does any delegate desire to speak in
opposition?
Delegate Dukes.
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DELEGATE DUKES: Mr. Chairman,
Judge Sherbow indicated the importance
placed on this particular basic philosophy.
I think it is fair to say that the Committee
certainly placed a similar amount of im-
portance on this. We spent as much time
on this as we did on any other matter.
Delegate Sollins and Delegate Miller did
come before the Committee. They presented
to us the proposal which we felt raised sub-
stantially the philosophy between an ex-
ecutive budget and legislative budget. The
Committee did not debate that particular
proposal at great length. Our Committee
was satisfied that the only way this thing
could properly run from a fiscal point of
view was with the executive budget. It has
worked well.
I agree with Delegate Boyce that that is
not enough to commend it. The fact is very
simply we feel, and we did feel in the
Taxation and Finance Committee, that the
executive is in a better position to view the
overall budget. He knows what the various
departments are doing. He knows not only
what they should be doing, but how well
they are capable of doing it.
He plans an overall budget. He presents
an overall budget, and at that point, if the
legislature is allowed to come in and move
one portion of the budget and add another
portion, we feel, and almost the entire
Committee felt, that we would get the
worst log-rolling program we ever had in
this State.
We had a good deal of testimony and ex-
amples from other states where this type
of thing goes on, where a constant battle
runs on between the legislature and the
governor. There is no question we agree
that some degree of log-rolling goes on. It
is also somewhat naive to assume that the
legislature has nothing to say about what
the governor puts in. The legislature cer-
tainly has final control over the money it
appropriates. They do have a good deal to
say about what goes in the executive budg-
et. We feel purely and simply that the
overall philosophy is best, that the execu-
tive be able to plan his budget because he
is going to have to carry it out, and if you
allow the legislature to come in piecemeal,
pick and choose the portions which they
like and the portions which they do not
like, we will not have as good a system as
we have now.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any other dele-
gate desire to speak in favor of the amend-
ment?
Delegate Grumbacher,
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