LEGISLATURE
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Senate Officers

George W. Della, President of the Senate
J. Waters Parrish, Secretary
J. Roy Hill, Assistant Secretary
Oden Bowie, Journal Clerk
Upshur C. Stevenson, Assistant Journal Clerk
Donald S. Hurwitz, Reading Clerk

House of Delegates Officers

Perry O. Wilkinson, Speaker
James P. Mause, Chief Clerk
Elizabeth M, Reese, Assistant Chief Clerk
Charles H. Cox, Journal Clerk
William T. Schmitz, Assistant Journal Clerk
James E. Jones, Reading Clerk
J. Frederick Kemper, Sergeant of Arms
L. Edwin Carr, Chief Page

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 Gen-
eral Assembly at the present time consists of 152 members: 29 Sen-
ators and 123 members of the House of Delegates, all elected by the
counties and the six Legislative Districts of Baltimore City. Each
county and each of the Legislative Districts of the city of Baltimore
is entitled to one Senator, The number of Delegates for each county
varies from two to six, and each Legislative District is entitled to six
Delegates. This membership formerly was determined by a formula
based upon population (set forth in the Constitution); but, by the
terms of a Constitutional amendment adopted in 1950, the member-
ship of the House of Delegates was frozen at its then current number
(111,5).

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 is eligible for elec-
tion to the General Assembly (III, 9, 10, II). The term of each Sen-
ator and Delegate shall be for four years from the date of his election
(XVII). The Governor is required to appoint to any vacancy that occurs
in either House through death, resignation, or disqualification, a per-
son whose name is submitted to him in writing by the State Central
Committee of the County or Legislative District which the person
holding the vacated scat represented and of the party to which he
belonged. The person so appointed must be affiliated with that party.
All persons so appointed serve for the unexpired portion of the term
(III, 13, amended November, 1936). Each House elects its own officers,
is judge of its own members, and establishes rules for the conduct of
its business.

The General Assembly meets annually. Sessions in odd-numbered
years begin the first Wednesday in January and are limited to