804/Maryland Manual

dition the two Houses by joint and similar rule may
further regulate the right to introduce bills during this
period; nor shall any bill become a law until it be read
on three different days of the session in each House, un-
less two-thirds of the members elected to the House
where such bill is pending shall so determine by yeas
and nays, and no bill shall be read a third time until it
shall have been actually engrossed or printed for a third
reading.

Each House may adopt by rule a "consent calendar"
procedure permitting bills to be read and voted upon as a
single group on both second and third readings, provided
that the members of each House be afforded reasonable
notice of the bills to be placed upon each "consent calen-
dar." Upon the objection of any member, any bill in
question shall be removed from the "consent calendar."

SEC. 28.⁵⁵ No bill, nor single group of bills placed
on the "consent calendar," shall become a Law unless it
be passed in each House by a majority of the whole
number of members elected, and on its final passage,
the yeas and nays be recorded, and on final passage of
the bills placed on the "consent calendar" the yeas and
nays on the entire group of bills be recorded. A resolu-
tion requiring the action of both Houses shall be passed
in the same manner.

SEC. 29. The style of all Laws of this State shall be,
"Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland:"
and all Laws shall be passed by original bill; and every
Law enacted by the General Assembly shall embrace
but one subject, and that shall be described in its title;
and no Law, nor section of Law, shall be revived, or
amended by reference to its title, or section only; nor
shall any Law be construed by reason of its title, to
grant powers, or confer rights which are not expressly
contained in the body of the Act; and it shall be the
duty of the General Assembly, in amending any article,
or section of the Code of Laws of this State, to enact the
same, as the said article, or section would read when
amended. And whenever the General Assembly shall en-
act any Public General Law, not amendatory of any sec-
tion, or article in the said Code, it shall be the duty of
the General Assembly to enact the same, in articles and
sections, in the same manner, as the Code is arranged,
and to provide for the publication of all additions and
alterations, which may be made to the said Code.

SEC. 30.⁵⁶ Every bill, when passed by the General
Assembly, and sealed with the Great Seal, shall be pres-
ented by the presiding officer of the House in which it
originated to the Governor for his approval. All bills
passed during a regular or special session shall be pres-
ented to the Governor for his approval no later than 20
days after adjournment. Within 30 days after present-
ment, if the Governor approves the bill, he shall sign
the same in the presence of the presiding officers and
Chief Clerks of the Senate and House of Delegates. Ev-
ery Law shall be recorded in the office of the Court of
Appeals, and in due time, be printed, published and
certified under the Great Seal, to the several Courts, in

"Amended by Chapter 369, Acts of 1972, ratified Nov. 7,
1972.
"Amended by Chapter 883, Acts of 1974, ratified Nov. 5,
1974.

Article III

the same manner as has been heretofore usual in this
State.

SEC. 31.⁵⁷ A Law passed by the General Assembly
shall take effect the first day of June next after the ses-
sion at which it may be passed, unless it be otherwise
expressly declared therein or provided for in this Con-
stitution.

SEC. 32. No money shall be drawn from the Trea-
sury of the State, by any order or resolution, nor except
in accordance with an appropriation by Law; and every
such Law shall distinctly specify the sum appropriated,
and the object, to which it shall be applied; provided,
that nothing herein contained, shall prevent the General
Assembly from placing a contingent fund at the dispos-
al of the Executive, who shall report to the General As-
sembly, at each Session, the amount expended, and the
purposes to which it was applied. An accurate statement
of the receipts and expenditures of the public money,
shall be attached to, and published with the Laws, after
each regular Session of the General Assembly.

SEC. 33. The General Assembly shall not pass local,
or special Laws, in any of the following enumerated
cases, viz.: For extending the time for the collection of
taxes; granting divorces; changing the name of any per-
son; providing for the sale of real estate, belonging to
minors, or other persons laboring under legal dis-
abilities, by executors, administrators, guardians or
trustees; giving effect to informal, or invalid deeds or
wills; refunding money paid into the State Treasury, or
releasing persons from their debts, or obligations to the
State, unless recommended by the Governor, or officers
of the Treasury Department. And the General Assem-
bly shall pass no special Law, for any case, for which
provision has been made, by an existing General Law.
The General Assembly, at its first Session after the
adoption of this Constitution, shall pass General Laws,
providing for the cases enumerated in this section,
which are not already adequately provided for, and for
all other cases, where a General Law can be made ap-
plicable.

SEC. 34.⁵⁸ No debt shall be hereafter contracted by
the General Assembly unless such debt shall be autho-
rized by a law providing for the collection of an annual
tax or taxes sufficient to pay the interest on such debt
as it falls due, and also to discharge the principal there-
of within fifteen years from the time of contracting the
same; and the taxes laid for this purpose shall not be
repealed or applied to any other object until the said
debt and interest thereon shall be fully discharged. The
annual tax or taxes required to be collected shall not be
collected in the event that sufficient funds to pay the
principal and interest on the debt are appropriated for
this purpose in the annual State budget. The credit of
the State shall not in any manner be given, or loaned
to, or in aid of any individual association or corpora-
amended by Chapter 883, Acts of 1974, ratified Nov. 5,
1974.