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(Call for the question.)
The Clerk will ring the quorum bell.
The question arises on the adoption of
the schedule of transitional provisions com-
prising the introductory paragraphs on
page 1 and sections 1 to 42 inclusive, omit-
ting section 30.
A vote Aye is a vote in favor of the
adoption of these sections. A vote No is a
vote against.
Cast your vote.
Has every delegate voted? Does any dele-
gate desire to change his vote?
(There was no response.)
The Clerk will record the vote.
There being 102 votes in 'the affirmative
and 5 in the negative, the motion carries.
The schedule is adopted.
We will pass over section 30 of the sched-
ule of transitional provisions and proceed
to a consideration of the schedule of legis-
lation. This begins on page 15 of the blue
copy.
Are there any amendments with respect
to the introductory paragraph beginning
on line 3 of page 15?
The Chair hears none.
Are there any amendments to section 1,
section 2, section 3?
My attention is called to another typo-
graphical error on line 26, page 15. Please
check the spelling of "suffrage."
Are there any amendments to section 2,
section 3, section 4, section 5, section G,
section 7, section 8?
Delegate Fornos, do you desire to offer
your Amendment G?
DELEGATE FORNOS: I do, Mr. Chair-
man.
THE CHAIRMAN: The pages will please
distribute the amendment G.
This will be Amendment No. 7.
The Clerk will read the amendment.
READING CLERK: Amendment No. 7
to Committee Recommendation GP-13, by
Delegate Fornos: On page 18, section 8,
Salary of Governor, in line 40 strike out
the words: "Forty Thousand Dollars" and
insert in lieu thereof the following words:
"Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars".
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THE CHAIRMAN: The amendment is
submitted by Delegate Fornos. Is there a
second? Who seconds?
DELEGATE RUSH: Second.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Rush sec-
onds.
The Chair recognizes Delegate Fornos.
DELEGATE FORNOS: Mr. Chairman
and fellow delegates, since we have heard
repeatedly in the explanation of the legis-
lative passage accompanying this consti-
tution that the General Assembly here-
after will have the right to amend that
package and put whatever figure it wants
to, I feel that it would be detrimental to
the welfare of the entire constitution for
us to get involved in a salary dispute, espe-
cially in view of the fact that on Novem-
ber 8, I960, the people of Maryland by a
narrow vote of a 20,000 majority voted an
increase in the salary of the governor from
fifteen to twenty-five thousand. I do so be-
cause of three reasons which I feel are
pertinent to the question.
(A) on April 15, the people of this
State will be confronted with having to go
in many cases and borrow large sums of
money to pay for the recent tax increase
confronting; the State especially in view of
the fact that the tax was not retroactive.
It was retroactive in effect, but not retro-
active in deductions, and I submit that
many of our people including some of our
rich members are going to have to find
larg-e sums of money to pay their tax bills.
Furthermore, we are confronted with an
imminent federal tax increase and with the
great competition for the tax dollar, I
feel that nothing will more infuriate the
people of this State than to think that this
Constitutional Convention was nothing
more than a salary grab.
I can see the justification for the in-
crease in the legislative salary not because
of my own personal interest in it, but be-
cause I feel that it is a modest increase.
It is raising the level of legislators' sal-
aries to where most people in the State
feel they ought to be, but when you raise
the judicial salaries and the executive
salaries I can see very bad omens on the
horizons and I feel that we have accom-
plished much too much good to have the
constitution fall on the pocketbook issue.
I would like to point out to you that
Allegany County voted overwhelmingly
against the tax increase, Calvert County,
Baltimore, Carroll County, Dorchester
County, Garrett County, Harford County,
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