Article III
SEC. 15"" (1) The General Assembly may con-
tinue its session so long as in its judgment the
public interest may require, for a period not longer
than ninety days in each year The ninety days
shall be consecutive unless otherwise provided by
law The General Assembly may extend its session
beyond ninety days, but not exceeding an addi-
tional thirty days, by resolution concurred in by a
three-fifths vote of the membership in each House
When the General Assembly is convened by Proc-
lamation of the Governor, the session shall not
continue longer than thirty days, but no additional
compensation other than mileage and other
allowances provided by law shall be paid members
of the General Assembly for special session
(2) Any compensation and allowances paid to
members of the General Assembly shall be as
established by a commission known as the Gener-
al Assembly Compensation Commission The
Commission shall consist of nine members, five of
whom shall be appointed by the Governor, two
of whom shall be appointed by the President of
the Senate, and two of whom shall be appointed
by the Speaker of the House of Delegates
Members of the General Assembly and officers
and employees of the Government of the State of
Maryland or of any county, city, or other govern-
mental unit of the State shall not be eligible for
appointment to the Commission Members of the
Commission shall be appointed for terms of four
years commencing on June 1 of each gubernatori-
al election year Members of the Commission are
eligible for re-appointment Any member of the
Commission may be removed by the Governor
pnor to the expiration of his term for official mis-
conduct, incompetence, or neglect of duty The
members shall serve without compensation but
shall be reimbursed for expenses incurred in car-
rying out their responsibilities under this section
Decisions of the Commission must be concurred
in by at least five members
(3)^ Within 15 days after the beginning of the
regular session of the General Assembly in 1974
and within 15 days after the beginning of the reg-
ular session in each fourth year thereafter, the
Commission by formal resolution shall submit its
determinations for compensation and allowances
to the General Assembly The General Assembly
may reduce or reject, but shall not increase any
item in the resolution The resolution, with any
reductions that shall have been concurred in by
*" Thus amended by Chapter 681 Acts of 1977 ratified No-
vember 7 1978
" Thus amended by Chapter 541 Acts of 1976 ratified Novern
her 2,1976

Constitution of Maryland/805
resolution of the General Assembly, shall take ef-
fect and have the force of law as of the beginning of
the term of office of the next General Assembly
Rates of compensation and pensions shall be uni-
form for all members of the General Assembly, ex-
cept that the officers of the Senate and the House
of Delegates may receive higher compensation as
determined by the General Assembly Compensa-
tion Commission The provisions of the Compensa-
tion Commission resolution shall continue in force
until superseded by any succeeding resolution
(4) In no event shall the compensation and
allowances be less than they were pnor to the es-
tablishment of the Compensation Commission
SEC. 16. No book, or other pnnted matter not
appertaining to the business of the session, shall
be purchased, or subscribed for, for the use of the
members of the General Assembly, or be distrib-
uted among them, at the public expense
SEC. 17. No Senator or Delegate, after qualifying
as such, notwithstanding he may thereafter resign,
shall dunng the whole penod of time, for which he
was elected, be eligible to any office, which shall
have been created, or the salary, or profits of which
shall have been increased, dunng such term
SEC. 18. No Senator or Delegate shall be lia-
ble in any civil action, or cnminal prosecution,
whatever, for words spoken in debate
SEC. 19." Each House shall be judge of the
qualifications and elections of its members, as
presenbed by the Constitution and Laws of the
State, and shall appoint its own officers, deter-
mine the rules of its own proceedings, punish a
member for disorderly or disrespectful behaviour
and with the consent of two-thirds of its whole
number of members elected, expel a member, but
no member shall be expelled a second time for
the same offence
SEC. 20. A majonty of the whole number of
members elected to each House shall constitute a
quorum for the transaction of business, but a
smaller number may adjourn from day to day,
and compel the attendance of absent members, in
such manner, and under such penalties, as each
House may presenbe
SEC. 21. The doors of each House, and of the
Committee of the Whole, shall be open, except
when the business is such as ought to be kept se-
cret
" Thus amended by Chapter 681 Acts of 1977, ratified No
vernber 7 1978