Does anyone desire to submit any further
amendment to section 3.04? Is there any
further amendment to section 3.04?
Delegate Kirkland?
DELEGATE KIRKLAND: Yes, Mr.
Chairman.
After having—
THE CHAIRMAN: Send your amend-
ment to the desk, please.
DELEGATE KIRKLAND: Yes, sir, if
I may have a page. The balance of them
are in the conference room.
I am still not convinced—
THE CHAIRMAN: Just a second. The
Clerk will read the amendment and it will
be marked Amendment No. 6.
READING CLERK: Amendment No. 6
to Committee Recommendation LB-I by
Delegate Kirkland: On page 1 line 24 of
Committee Recommendation LB-I, strike
out the words "one hundred five" and in-
sert in lieu thereof the words "one hundred
forty-two"; on page 2 lines 1 and 2, strike
out the words "be one-third the number of
delegates" and insert in lieu thereof the
words "not exceed forty-three"; and on
page 2 line 4, strike out the words "Each
senate" and strike out all of lines 55 and 6.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Kirkland,
may 1 paraphrase the amendment as 1 un-
derstand it, just to be sure that I do under-
stand it? The section as amended would
then read "Number of members of each
house in the legislature shall be as pre-
scribed by law but the number of delegates
shall not exceed 142 and the number of
senators shall not exceed 43, each delegate
shall represent one delegate district and
each senator shall represent one senate
district." Would that be the section as
amended?
DELEGATE KIRKLAND: Yes, sir.
THE CHAIRMAN: Is there a second to
the amendment?
(Whereupon, the amendment was duly
seconded.)
THE CHAIRMAN: The Chair recog-
nizes Delegate Kirkland to speak in favor
of Amendment No. 6.
Delegate Sherbow?
DELEGATE SHERBOW: May 1 again
suggest that we follow the rule and elimi-
nate that portion dealing with the method |
of selection as we have been doing all day,
or we will never get straightened out.
THE CHAIRMAN: I do not think that
will be necessary here because the amend-
ment is simply an amendment to the sec-
tion and would leave before you the com-
mittee recommendation. There is no change
by this amendment in the language to
which you refer. There would still be an
opportunity for you to discuss that ques-
tion.
Delegate Kirkland.
DELEGATE KIRKLAND: Mr. Presi-
dent, I am still not sure that this repre-
sentative body is ready to give up the fact
that we can fix this figure at the present
figure of the House and Senate. We have
heard a lot of plaudits about this past
legislative session, and it indicates to me
that this present body is a workable one.
I am sure that it can continue to work
and be just as effective as it has in the
past.
I would like to see this as a compromise
to the figures of 105 and 35.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any delegate
desire to speak in opposition to the amend-
ment ?
Delegate Gallagher.
DELEGATE GALLAGHER: Mr. Presi-
dent, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Com-
mittee:
This amendment seeks to perpetuate the
status quo. The status quo was arrived at
in fits and patches, as a result of the re-
apportionment decision involving the Mary-
land Representation Committee. I think it
has been abundantly made clear by the
testimony which we have had before us
that the status quo is not satisfactory.
Admittedly the reapportioned General
Assembly did an excellent job during the
1967 - meeting, but it is quite evident that
this reapportioned legislature can do an
even more effective job with a smaller num-
ber.
I resubmit that the figures of 35 and 105
are the ideal, and therefore, Mr. Chairman,
I would oppose this amendment because if
we come down here and do nothing more
than raise our rubber stamps and say Yea
for what already exists, we certainly have
not shown much imagination or ingenuity
or initiative.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does anybody else
desire to speak in favor of the amendment? |
