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5 which will delete the section as hereto-
fore amended. The question now is solely
on Amendment No. 8. A vote Aye is a vote
for the Amendment. A vote No is a vote
against.
Cast your votes.
Has every delegate voted? Does any dele-
gate desire to change his vote?
(There was no response.)
The Clerk will record the vote.
Delegate Clark votes Aye.
There being 106 votes in the affirmative
and 5 in the negative, the motion carries.
The amendment is adopted.
The question now arises on the adoption
of Amendment No. 5 to delete all of section
5 as amended by Amendments 6, 7, and 8.
In other words, the question you are now
debating on limited but uncontrolled time,
is section 5 as amended by Amendments
6, 7, and 8 versus the deletion of the sec-
tion. Does any delegate desire to speak in
favor of Amendment No. 5?
Delegate Beatrice Miller.
DELEGATE B. MILLER: I have a
question, Mr. Chairman. I wish to apolo-
gize also. I thought you were calling for a
question and I interrupted you, but I have
a question.
THE CHAIRMAN: I believe the Chair
lost his equilibrium for a moment.
Delegate Miller.
DELEGATE B. MILLER: I would prob-
ably like to know the answer from Delegate
Willis. He spoke of local school boards be-
ing taken over by political subdivisions,
and I want to know just how this is pos-
sible if we have a state board —
THE CHAIRMAN : Delegate Miller, may
the Chair interrupt you? Since we are on
controlled time, I have to allow anyone who
desires to speak an opportunity to speak
before you can ask questions. Does any
delegate desire to speak in favor of Amend-
ment No. 5? In favor of the deletion?
Delegate Clark.
DELEGATE J. CLARK: Mr. Chairman,
I wish to make two very brief points. The
first is that Article 77 of the Maryland
Annotated Code at the present time does
give the full power and direction and con-
trol now contemplated and provided in sec-
tion 5 as amended. Article 77 shall be car-
ried over as a part of the interim provision.
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Secondly, if we do keep section 5 as
amended and freeze it into the constitu-
tion, it will prevent the General Assembly
from moving forward along the line con-
templated by certain of the provisions in
the local government article because what
is meant by local here may not be local
when and if regional governments, if they
ever come into existence, do come into
existence.
In order for the General Assembly to
provide by law subject to referendum as
therein contemplated, it would be ham-
strung by this provision frozen into the
constitution and a constitutional amend-
ment would be required in order to accom-
plish the purposes of creating regional
government with the authority and power
contemplated by and when that time comes.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any delegate
desire to speak in opposition to Amend-
ment No. 5?
Delegate Kirkland.
DELEGATE KIRKLAND: Mr. Chair-
man, not long ago I asked Delegate Moser
a question with relation to local govern-
ments. Originally we came down here to
try to relieve the General Assembly of
their responsibility in local government. I
asked them about what was the percent of
relief under the present proposal. I under-
stand from some of his Committee it was
between fifty and seventy-five percent so
I am wondering who is kidding whom with
relation to this. Certainly I feel that this
should be removed from the possibility of
having the fiscal authority also be the
board of education. This is exactly what
this would do, and I hesitate to say this
because unfortunately not long ago our
largest city here in the State of Maryland
was under sanctions by the NEA, and I
think and I truthfully say this: I think
one of the reasons for these sanctions was
the fact that they did not have a board of
education that could work independently
from the fiscal authorities.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Key, do you
desire to speak in favor of the amendment?
DELEGATE KEY: Yes.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Key.
DELEGATE KEY: My good colleague,
Mr. Kirkland, has alluded to something
that I was just about to mention which to
me is one of the best reasons in the world
why we do not need to freeze into this
constitution language as proposed in sec-
tion 5.
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