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DELEGATE GRUMBACHER: Mr.
Chairman, members of the Committee, I
agree fully with Judge Sherbow when he
says that this is one of the most important
single things which we consider here. I do
not agree with him on the way the decision
should be made.
Maryland is the only state whose con-
stitution does not allow the legislature to
increase the budgets. Others have this by
statute. If a legislature wishes to hobble
itself, let it do so. But let us not do it here.
The main problem with only being able
to cut a budget is that then the temptation
is to be destructive, to attack and destroy
various items in the budget.
I was here one year when the only thing
we seemed to be able to find in the budget
to cut were all new positions. If we had
been able to do a constructive job we may
have found something else to do with the
budget, but to show we were doing some-
thing, we had to cut somewhere. This was,
in this fast-growing State of ours, to cut
all new positions.
This kind of thing is very damaging to
the legislature and to the budget, and to
the State. It was stated a little before,
there may be political things going on in
the legislature. The legislature might put
in things for political reasons. The legisla-
ture is not the only body or only part of
our government which works for political
reasons. There could easily be political rea-
sons behind the budget as presented by the
governor. The legislature should have the
right to raise the budget within limitations,
within the total allocation. This is not an
irresponsible thing. This is the responsible
way to handle the problem.
THE CHAIRMAN: You have one-half
minute, Delegate Grumbacher.
DELEGATE GRUMBACHER: Thank
you.
It gives the legislature the chance to put
in items which it thinks are necessary, and
gives the governor the last crack at it.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Willis, are
you still rising for the purpose of asking Delegate Hanson a question?
DELEGATE WILLIS: Yes, Mr. Chair-
man.
THE CHAIRMAN: The Chair cannot
recognize you to do that until persons de-
siring to speak have finished. There are
two others desiring to speak on the matter.
I will then recognize Delegate Hanson.
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Does any delegate desire to speak in op-
position to the amendment?
Delegate Roger.
DELEGATE KOGER: I would like to
speak in opposition to the amendment.
First of all, I am positive that at the
committee hearings people were told that
hearings were to be held on the entire
matter of the budget, and people were given
the opportunity to air all phases of ques-
tions.
If that is true, it appears to me that to
further liberalize or change the budget
would not appear to be a good thing. I
think that should be known, that ample
hearings are held where people are given
a fair opportunity to speak, and where
they can ask questions, and the governor
can participate, and all members of the
legislature can come in, even the public
can ask questions about items of the
budget.
I think that should be sufficient to give
plenty of airing and give people plenty of
opportunity to urge increases or decreases
in the budget.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Gallagher.
DELEGATE GALLAGHER: Mr. Chair-
man, ladies and gentlemen of the Commit-
tee, I want to make one thing clear. When
the Committee on the Legislative Branch
met jointly with the Committee on State
Finance and Taxation, it was suggested to
Chairman Sherbow that there was con-
siderable sentiment in the Committee on
the Legislative Branch to grant the Gen-
eral Assembly the power to increase the
budget, to which Delegate Sherbow replied,
"over my dead body."
We were not then so disposed.
(Laughter.)
Nor do I plead guilty to any homicidal
tendency at this time; but I point out to
you this particular amendment has three
committee chairmen on it. I think with
good reason.
The Goodnow Committee report of 1916
really sought to do one very important
thing. That was to prohibit deficit financ-
ing, and that particular caveat is contained
in the report to Governor Harrington. Fur-
thermore, I should make this point as
well: that this particular committee was
the product of the Democratic Convention
of the prior year, and really represented
a very responsible bit of activity on the
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