86 MARYLAND MANUAL. ART. XVI.*]
ARTICLE XVI*
THE REFERENDUM.
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SECTION 1. (a) The people reserve to themselves power |
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Power. ] |
[known as The Referendum, by petition to have submitted to
the registered voters of the State, to approve or reject at the
polls, any Act, or part of any Act of the General Assembly, if
approved by the Governor, or, if passed by the General As-
sembly over the veto of the Governor; |
Additional
Legislation. |
(b) The provisions of this Article shall be self-executing;
provided that additional legislation in furtherance thereof and
not in conflict therewith may be enacted.
SEC. 2. No law enacted by the General Assembly shall take
effect until the first day of June next after the session at |
When Elec-
tive. |
which it may be passed, unless it contain a section declaring
such law an emergency law and necessary for the immediate
preservation of the public health or safety, and passed upon a
yea and nay vote supported by three-fifths of all the members
elected to each of the two Houses of the General Assembly;
provided, however, that said period of suspension may be ex-
tended as provided in Section 3 (b) hereof. If before said
first day of June there shall have been filed with the Secre-
tary of the State a petition to refer to a vote of the people any
law or part of a law capable of referendum, as in this Article
provided, the same shall be referred by the Secretary of
State to such vote, and shall not become a law or take effect
until thirty days after its approval by a majority of the elect-
ors voting thereon at the next ensuing election held through-
out the State for Members of the House of Representatives of
the United States. An emergency law shall remain in force |
Emergency
Laws. |
notwithstanding such petition, but shall stand repealed thirty
days after having been rejected by a majority of the qualified
electors voting thereon; provided, however, that no measure
creating or abolishing any office, or changing the salary, term
or duty of any officer, or granting any franchise or special
privilege, or creating any vested right or interest, shall be en-
acted as an emergency law. No law making any appropria-
tion or maintaining the State Government, or for maintain-
ing or aiding any public institution, not exceeding the next |
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Exception. |
previous appropriation for the same purpose, shall be subject
to rejection or repeal under this Section. The increase in any
such appropriation for maintaining or aiding any public In-
stitution shall only take effect as in the case of other laws, and
such increase or any part thereof specified in the petition,
may be referred to a vote of the people upon petition.
*Added by Chapter 673, 1914. Ratified November 2, 1915. |
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