me say this: I favor a smaller time. I
thought that 90 days, plus an additional
30 days, was enough time, and I also sug-
gested that the 30 days come by just a ma-
jority vote, but Delegate Bamberger did
not prevail. I think the vote was very close.
Then Delegate Bamberger came along with
the 90, plus 30 by majority vote, plus an
additional 30 by a 3/5ths margin.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Malkus,
your time is up.
DELEGATE MALKUS: In closing, Mr.
President, I would like to say this, that I
think the time is enough for us in the legis-
lature to do the job, as proposed by the
Committee Report.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Bard. You
have six minutes left to allocate.
DELEGATE BARD: Mr. Chairman,
may I make it known that those who have
made it clear that they would like to speak
during the so-called controlled time will
have the opportunity to do so on their
own?
THE CHAIRMAN: I think it would be
preferable if you did make that clear, if
you would just announce who you want to
speak on the controlled time.
DELEGATE BARD: All right. Then I
should like Delegate Harold Clagett to
speak.
THE CHAIRMAN: How many minutes?
DELEGATE BARD: Two minutes.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Clagett,
you have two minutes.
DELEGATE CLAGETT: Mr. Chairman,
several days ago we voted down the uni-
cameral body and created two bodies. Then
we proceeded to operate on those two bodies
and to eliminate some of their members.
Now, I would like to see us pay our atten-
tion to the recuperation of that body, and
let it grow strong, get well and go forward.
It seems to me that it is the height of
the ridiculous to think in terms of a strong
judiciary and give it 365 days to take care
of its responsibilities, a strong executive
and give him 365 days to run and yet take
the General Assembly and march it out of
the arena at the end of 90 days, and only
bring it back under some special conditions.
If we are really going to have checks and
balances between the branches of govern-
ment, we have to find ways of keeping the
legislative branch strong and in the arena |
where it can properly take care of its re-
sponsibility of public policy and the mak-
ing of good government.
THE CHAIRMAN: You have a little
less than half minute.
DELEGATE CLAGETT: I would yield
that half minute to someone else.
THE CHAIRMAN: The Chair applauds
that action.
Delegate Gallagher.
DELEGATE GALLAGHER: Mr. Chair-
man, I yield two and one-half minutes to
Mr. Gilchrist.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Gilchrist.
DELEGATE GILCHRIST: Mr. Chair-
man, ladies and gentlemen, the issue which
is before the house at this point created
perhaps the most bitter debate which oc-
curred in the Committee on the Legislative
Branch. It pointed out the sharp division
in that group between those who believed
in a professional, full-time legislature and
those who believed in the citizen legislature.
I might say that the word "flexible",
which has been used here today to describe
the minority proposal is a euphemism for
a continuous session that was adopted by
its proponents after about five days of dis-
covering that continuous was not really ac-
ceptable to most people.
Of the witnesses who appeared before
our Committee, and I have a slightly
larger number than Senator Malkus, my
count is 50, five testified for a continuing
session, two testified for fixing it by the
legislature, and 43 testified that there
should be a constitutional limit. The longest
specified by any of those people was 120
days.
I might add that one of the witnesses
who testified, contrary to what has been
said here earlier, a 90-day session would
be an acceptable compromise.
I should like to point out that in the last
twenty years there have been eight states
which have adopted no constitutional limit
on legislative sessions, prior to which they
had limitations in order to avoid a per-
petual legislature. Pennsylvania, New Jer-
sey, and Wisconsin today have legislatures
which sit a few days a week, go home and
come back the next. I point out to you the
effect that this had on the Constitutional
Convention in Rhode Island—
THE CHAIRMAN: You have a little
less than half a minute. |
