Twenty-five percent of the vetoes of the
Governor of this State are based generally
on flaws in language, bad, sloppy, inaccu-
rate language and drafting, or on rulings
of unconstitutionality. Does this suggest
that a bicameral body is necessarily more
careful? I think it suggests the contrary.
I came to this Convention a bicameralist.
I have long been a student of state legis-
latures and long been interested in the
operation of the legislative branch of gov-
ernment. I was convinced before I came
here that bicameralism provided a great
advantage to the people in terms of its
representative qualities. Someone has sug-
gested that during this Convention 1 suf-
fered a bicameral disease and for that rea-
son may have changed my opinion. None-
theless, I have become convinced since being
here and looking again at this question that
if we want to establish in this State an
effective legislature, if we want to have a
legislature in which the public can have
confidence, if we want a legislature in
which the public can have confidence, if
we want a legislature in which we can see
who is doing what to whom and why, then
we need a unicameral legislature in Mary-
land.
We need it not because it has worked in
Nebraska. We need it not because it has
worked in local government. We are very
pleased to have the endorsement of the
President of the Baltimore City Council.
We need it not because certain groups
want it or do not want it. We need it be-
cause Maryland is going to need that kind
of legislative body which can be a full par-
ticipant and a full and co-equal branch of
a new and revitalized government in this
State.
We sit here in Convention in order to
bring a rebirth of state government. This
is the challenge that is before us. We who
support unicameralism ask for your help
on this vote because we believe it can be
one of the most effective demonstrations
that this Convention intends to give Mary-
land and the government of the State that
rebirth.
Thank you.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Gallagher.
DELEGATE GALLAGHER: Mr. Chair-
man and ladies and gentlemen of the Com-
mittee: I would suggest that the question
of unicameralism or bicameralism is really
not a make or break issue for the success
of this Convention or of the advancement
of better legislative articles. I do suggest |
that history has shown that the bicameral
General Assembly has worked and further
that the reapportioned legislature which
was the objective of so many students of
government and those interested in the
one-man/one-vote theory, has been with us
for only a short period of time. I think it
would be generally agreed that the work
in the first session of this reapportioned
legislature was good work, it was com-
mended and was recognized.
At this time, therefore, I believe it would
be appropriate to say that the reappor-
tioned legislature in a bicameral body has
not been given a sufficient opportunity to
indicate the wealth of changes and reforms
which it is capable of making and which it
has indicated it intends to make.
In my earlier remarks I did not point
out that one of the benefits of a bicameral
General Assembly is to flag the public and
to inform the public that a bill has passed
one of the houses. I think it would be accu-
rate to say that on many occasions the
voters of this State do not know that a bill
is even before the General Assembly until
it reads in the paper that it has passed
the House or the Senate. At that particular
time suddenly they realize that their inter-
ests are under close scrutiny in Annapolis
and they come running down to be heard
in the second chamber.
Consequently, one of the services of the
bicameral system is that it calls to the at-
tention of the people of the State that ac-
tion has been taken on a particular piece of
legislation and does so to give the citizen
an opportunity to be heard on it, to ward it
off as the case might be, or perhaps to en-
courage it if it be the desire of the par-
ticular constituents.
I might say, too, that under the bicam-
eral package that the Committee has pre-
sented, if the 35 senator 105 member house
formula is adopted, we would have a total
of 140 representatives in the aggregate,
rather than the 100 which is suggested as
the amended figure in a unicameral body.
We would have, therefore, 40 more repre-
sentatives to be made available to the
people and to be allowed to mix with them
and to know what their wishes may be.
I suggest that one of the avenues of ob-
taining better citizen representation in the
General Assembly and of keeping those
worthwhile senators and delegates who are
here at great personal sacrifice would be,
of course, to move in the direction that the
Committee report has indicated; to reward
these people for their services with proper |
