|
Mr. Chairman, I do think that it is pos-
sible to carry out the provisions of the sec-
tion that is sought to be deleted here. We
have provided that it shall be done by rule.
I think that all the arguments that were
made with respect to visibility are appli-
cable, and I think there is no necessity
here that we attempt to provide at 9 o'clock
the following morning the debates that
took place the day before.
Quite obviously what the Committee on
the Legislative Branch had intended was
to have a record of what took place on the
floor. Despite the difficulties that may exist
in actuality, I am certain that if there is a
need that .the need can be met, and I think
it will provide a significant public service.
I think that in trying to advance the vi-
sion of the people and the responsibility of
the legislators that we ought not jettison
this particular feature which found favor
with this body when we debated it earlier
and when it was voted upon. And there-
fore, Mr. President, I would urge you and
the other members .to vote against the
amendment.
THE PRESIDENT: I think the Chair
should make this further comment, al-
though I am sure it will be greeted by
laughter, notwithstanding the comments of
Delegate Rybczynski and Delegate Galla-
gher.
I was not attempting to, I will not say
not attempting to influence your vote, be-
cause I am attempting to educate it; but I
am not attempting to tell you how to vote,
and the Chair does not intend to vote. My
concern was only that the delegates have
the benefit of the information that is avail-
able to the Chair and which you would not
have unless you were told by me.
I would certainly expect any delegate to
vote his conscience, and I would expect any
delegate to be free in debate to tear to
pieces any comment the Chair has made.
Is there any further discussion?
Delegate Burdette.
DELEGATE BURDETTE: I should like
to touch upon an entirely different point,
or really two points.
From the point of view of the Commit-
tee on Style, and I as an individual mem-
ber speak for myself, this transcript has
been of enormous value in discovering in-
tent. It has, I should think, likewise for the
State of Maryland enormous value in the
judgment which the people make about the
performance of legislators and the judg-
|
ments which are made in courts about leg-
islative history. The value of the tran-
script is not only transient, but permanent.
I should like to make the point also that
I do not interpret any requirement in the
language here used to require a printed
transcript. I should like to suggest to the
President that I should certainly interpret
this language to permit a recorded tran-
script which could be made available in
that fashion by proper indexing.
I do not think we are in any sense lim-
iting the General Assembly in its power by
rule to make a printed transcript, or to
make it available at any particular time
or to any particular audience. I simply
suggest that it is of enormous value to the
visibility of our legislature and for the
enlightenment of public life in this State.
THE PRESIDENT: I think the Chair
should advise you that there is another
amendment which, I suppose, would be of-
fered in the event this amendment is de-
feated, or may be offered anyhow, which
would strike out the word "transcript" and
insert the words "visual and audible
record."
I do not know whether that is intended
to cover the point you make or not, Dele-
gate Burdette.
Delegate James Clark.
DELEGATE J. CLARK: Mr. President,
ladies and gentlemen:
I rise to support the amendment. I think
that perhaps in the light of what we have
learned from our experience that it is cer-
tainly unwise to include this in the Con-
stitution.
If in the future the General Assembly
wishes to follow this course, this is always
open to them, and I would certainly hope
that the amendment prevails.
THE PRESIDENT.: Delegate Beatrice
Miller.
DELEGATE B. MILLER: Mr. Chair-
man, as we discussed this in the Legisla-
tive Committee there were a number of us
that felt that this was one of the most
important changes that we would be mak-
ing or important recommendations that we
would be making. Some of us have come to
the legislature year in and year out trying
to find out what is going on, trying at home
to get reports of what has happened, how
our legislators have done, what the issues
were, what was said, and it is very diffi-
cult to get this information.
|
