this happened in the past, I think there
should be some safeguard for the people of
the state, and therefore 1 support Delegate
Hutchinson on his amendment.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Koss.
DELEGATE KOSS: I would like just to
speak to the point Mr. Siewierski mentioned
that there were four items that were re-
jected by the people which the General As-
sembly then re-enacted.
One 1 happen to know was congressional
redistricting. I worked very hard to get
that petition and get it rejected but I would
have been aghast had the General Assembly
not had the authority at that point to re-
consider and come up with other plans. To
put a moratorium on the General Assem-
bly at that point would have been abso-
lutely ridiculous.
THE CHAIRMAN: The Chair recog-
nizes Delegate Weidemeyer.
DELEGATE WEIDEMEYER: Mr.
Chairman and members of the house, 1 see
no harm in this amendment. In fact, I think
it is a very good amendment because, as
a practical matter when the right of refer-
endum has been denied by putting a high
requirement on it so that it is almost pro-
hibitive, I wonder when we will ever need
this. There will be very few laws that are
ever taken out on referendum and if the
people do knock them down, they will be
in a small minority. Most of them are ap-
proved. And so I say that for those iso-
lated cases this is a very good amendment,
that the legislature should be required to
have a three-fifths vote, if it overrides the
will of the people. Therefore, Mr. Chair-
man, in view of the restrictive provisions
of the referendum provision, which we have
now put in, I am in favor of this amend-
ment.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Cardin.
DELEGATE CARDIN: Mr. Chairman,
I rise to speak in opposition to this amend-
ment. First, I have enough confidence in the
intelligence of the General Assembly that
if they should see fit to override a vote of
the people, as occurred in the last Bay
Bridge situation, they would do so with
sufficient majority in both houses to make
quite certain they know what they are do-
ing and why.
Second, I would also like to suggest it
probably was the recent situation of a
referendum and eventual re-enactment that
occurred, and perhaps the figures would ex- |
plain to all, the voting history on the Bay
Bridge Bill. Of the 280,000 votes cast
against the Bay Bridge building, 101,000
negative votes came from Baltimore
County; 242,000 voted for, that is, in ap-
proval of the Bay Bridge. Actually the total
was only some odd 40,000 votes difference,
basically coming from one locale. I do not
think this was sufficient to tie the hands of
the General Assembly. Testimony from the
legislative leaders proved that the negative
votes were overwhelmingly from one county
and did not represent the feeling of the
electorate state wide. Since this became a
parochial issue, the legislature felt the best
interests of the entire State would be served
by the passage of the 1967 bridge bill.
Three-fifths vote, as we now have the
Hostetter amendment, is evidently not too
difficult to obtain. I think it is unnecessary
in the present constitution.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any other mem-
ber wish to be heard on this amendment?
The question will be submitted on Amend-
ment No. 13 to Committee Recommendation
S&E-1. All in favor ,of adoption of Amend-
ment No. 13 say Aye.
DELEGATE HUTCHINSON: I would
like to have the benefit of a roll call vote.
THE CHAIRMAN: Has every member
registered his vote on Amendment No. 13?
(Whereupon, a roll call vote was taken.)
THE CHAIRMAN: The Clerk will take
the roll.
There being 27 votes in the affirmative
and 79 in the negative, Amendment No. 13
fails for want of a constitutional majority.
Are there any other amendments to be
submitted to sections? If not, I recognize
Delegate Gilchrist.
DELEGATE GILCHRIST: Mr. Chair-
man, I should like to call a new amendment
designated LL.
THE CHAIRMAN: This is Amendment
No. 14, designated LL at the top. I think it
would be proper to have this read in full
since this is a rewrite of the entire work
of the day. I think it deserves sufficient
attention to have the Clerk read it in full.
READING CLERK: Amendment No. 14
to Committee Recommendation S&E-1, by
Delegates Gilchrist, Scanlan and Freed-
lander.
In Committee Recommendation S&E-1, on
page 1 strike all of lines 9 through 24; on |
