George's, not in Montgomery. Those who
favor constitutional time limits do not op-
pose between-session meetings of commit-
tees for legislative councils. The major
problem, as I see it, is focusing public at-
tention on laws passed by the legislature.
I think unlimited time would have a bad
effect on the work of organizations, lobby-
ing organizations, such as the League and
other special interest lobbying organiza-
tions to focus public attention on what is
being done at the legislature. I also think
there might be some trouble with the press
coverage of the legislature. We have metro-
politan press that has to cover the District
of Columbia and Virginia, as well as Mary-
land problems. There might be some diffi-
culty in having a full-time man in An-
napolis; the press is also a consideration of
the smaller counties. I would favor a con-
stitutional time limit on the legislature.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any other dele-
gate desire to speak in favor of the amend-
ment? Delegate Hardwicke.
DELEGATE HARDWICKE: Mr. Chair-
man, ladies and gentlemen of the Commit-
tee of the Whole, I think the arguments
that have been presented in favor of the
specified time are very persuasive. How-
ever, it seems to me that having a legis-
lature that meets in given months during
a year is not the kind of timeless concept
which will survive for a period of one
hundred years or the generations for whom
we are hoping that this Constitution can
be written.
The present scheme is predicated upon
actually a full-time legislature, insofar as
the Legislative Council meets like a uni-
cameral body throughout the year when the
legislature is not sitting, and the Legisla-
tive Council is not based upon the commit-
tee structure. It is in the legislature. For
example, when I was in the legislature I
sat on the Prisons Committee. Now, I use
that term euphemistically, because the
Prisons Committee never sat. That par-
ticular committee of the legislature never
had a meeting, but there was a Prisons
Committee of the Legislative Council that
met during the summer and during the
fall that actually engineered and steered
prison problems before the legislature.
I suggest to you, ladies and gentlemen,
that we are trying to nudge the legislature
along toward reform. This concept of flexi-
ble sessions will do more to nudge them
toward reform than anything we can do
because of the fact that the committee
setup will be more permanent, the legis-
lature will be more all-pervasive among the |
members as to its functions, and it seems
to me that over the years and years ahead,
the legislature that meets or can meet
throughout the year will serve the needs
of this State far more effectively than one
which is limited to two or three months of
the winter. Consequently, if we want re-
form, if we want a vital legislature, this is
the way to get it. This will do more toward
accomplishing it than anything else that
we do.
THE CHAIRMAN: The Chair recog-
nizes Delegate Della to speak in opposition
to the amendment.
DELEGATE DELLA: Mr. Chairman
and members of this Convention, there
were several items that we considered in
the Committee, and one was the business
man, the business world, which wants time
to survey what legislation of interest to
them was passed during the legislative ses-
sion of 90 days, or 70 days.
The other item that you are not taking
into consideration is the possibility of a
need for two lieutenant governors, because
if you are going to continue with a legis-
lative session for an entire year, you might
kill two of your executive departments. I
knew of one governor who sighed with re-
lief when that 90 days was up and the
legislature went home because he did not
know what the program was that was go-
ing to be sponsored by those members in
the General Assembly. We have one dele-
gate here, I think, who will vouch for what
I have said, that he was relieved when the
General Assembly adjourned sine die.
You have got to give to the General As-
sembly the right to have progressive pro-
cedure in their methods of legislating, and
we have testimony that there will be joint
committees after the adjournment sine die
who are going to consider the budget as
joint committees of both the Senate and
the House, who will evaluate the proposals
and the requests in the budget. They then
will be in a position to tell the General
Assembly what is in the budget.
Dr. Cooper, who is the fiscal agent of
the State, stated that it took 65 days to
pass the budget for the last three sessions.
Now we have extended that 70 days to 90
days. We have extended that 90, 30 more
days and then 30 more days after that.
Ladies and gentlemen, certainly the Gen-
eral Assembly can consider their proposals
in 90 days, and the only reason you have
70 days now is to amend the law which
gave to the General Assembly a 90-day and
30-day session. |
