LEGISLATURE

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

GEORGE W. DELLA, President of the Senate
JOHN C. LUBER, Speaker of the House of Delegates

The legislative powers of the State of Maryland are vested in the
General Assembly which consists of two distinct branches, the Senate
and the House of Delegates (Const. 1867, Art. Ill, sec. 1). The
General Assembly at the present time consists of 162 members: 29
Senators and 123 members of the House of Delegates. Each County
and each of the six Legislative Districts of the City of Baltimore is
entitled to one Senator. The members of the House of Delegates are
elected by the counties and the Legislative Districts of Baltimore
City, and the number of Delegates from each legislative area for-
merly was determined by its population, according to the following
schedule:

less than 18,000................................................................2 Delegates
18,000-28,000 ..................................................................3 Delegates
28,000-40,000 ....................................................................4 Delegates
40,000-55,000 ..................................................................5 Delegates
55,000-and over ........................................—..............6 Delegates

Each of the Legislative Districts of Baltimore City is entitled to the
number of Delegates accorded the most populous county of the State
(III, 2,4).

By a Constitutional amendment adopted in 1950, the membership
of the House of Delegates was "frozen" at its current number (III,
5 amended).

Every Senator or Delegate must be a citizen of the State, and a
resident of it for at least three years preceding the date of his elec-
tion and the last year thereof, he must have resided in the county or
the Legislative District of Baltimore City which he represents.
A Senator must be at least twenty-five years of age at the
time of his election and a Delegate at least twenty-one. No member
of Congress or any person holding a civil or military office under the
United States Government nor any clergyman or minister shall be
eligible for election to the General Assembly (III, 9, 10, 11). The
term of each Senator and Delegate shall be for four years from the
date of his election (XVII). All vacancies occurring in either
House through death, resignation or disqualification shall be filled by
the Governor, who shall appoint a person whose name is submitted
to him in writing by the State Central Committee of the party to
which the person holding the vacated seat belonged, and the person
appointed must be affiliated with that party. All persons so appointed
shall serve for the unexpired portion of the term (III, 13, amended
November 1936). Each House shall elect its own officers and shall
be judge of its own members and shall establish rules for the con-
duct of its business.

The General Assembly meets annually. Sessions in odd-numbered
years begin the first Wednesday in January and are limited to ninety
days; the sessions meeting in even-numbered years begin the first
Wednesday of February and are limited to thirty days. The sessions
in even numbered years are limited to the consideration of budgetary-
matters and legislation of an emergency nature. The Governor may
call special sessions at any time he deems it necessary (III, 14,.
amended).