zation, and State personnel, and provides
recommendations for the use of any anticipated
surplus, and other findings or recommendations as
the Committee deems appropriate.

The Committee consists of the president of the
Senate and the speaker of the House of Delegates,
the chairpersons of the Senate Budget and Taxa-
tion Committee and the House Appropriations
Committee, the majority and minority leaders of
the Senate and House or their designees, and an
equal number of other senators and delegates as
the president and speaker may designate (Code
State Government Article, secs. 2-1001 through
2-1009).

SPECIAL JOINT COMMITTEES
AND TASK FORCES

The Legislative Policy Committee periodically
establishes special joint committees and task forces
for particular purposes. These special committees
and task forces function during the interim be-
tween sessions of the General Assembly. Each is
reviewed annually at the end of the legislative
session by the Legislative Policy Committee, which
decides whether the committee or task force shall
continue its work or cease to function. Staff for
special joint committees and task forces is provid-
ed by the Department of Fiscal Services and the
Department of Legislative Reference. A commit-
tees membership list is published each summer and
is available on request.

Staff Contact: Michael I. Volk

Department of Legislative Reference
90 State Circle
Annapolis 21401 Telephone: 841-3870

1983 Interim Special Joint Committees and Task
Forces:

Special Joint Committee on Economic and
Community Development Oversight

Election Laws Revision Task Force

Special Joint Committee on Health Care for the
Uninsured

Special Joint Committee on Juvenile Facilities

Maryland Legislative Information System (MLIS)
Steering Committee

Special Joint Committee on Pensions
Joint Committee on State Government Revision

Legislature/41

Special Joint Committee on Transportation

1984 Interim Special Joint Committees and Task
Forces:

Chesapeake Bay Critical Areas Oversight
Committee

Clerks of Court Task Force

Special Joint Committee on Coal Pipeline
Resources

Maryland Automobile Insurance Task Force

Maryland Legislative Information System (MLIS)
Steering Committee

Special Joint Committee on Pensions
Southern Maryland Agriculture Commission

LEGISLATIVE AGENCIES

DEPARTMENT OF LEGISLATIVE
REFERENCE

F. Carvel Payne, Director

90 State Circle
Annapolis 21401 Telephone: 841 -3 865

The Department of Legislative Reference was
originally created by Chapter 565, Acts of 1906, to
serve the City of Baltimore. The scope of the
Department was enlarged so that it would also
serve the State by Chapter 474, Acts of 1916. By
Chapter 453, Acts of 1965, the State's portion of
the Department was transferred to the Legislative
Branch. The present Department dates its current
organization from Chapter 571, Acts of 1966,
which separated this Department from the depart-
ment of the same name in Baltimore City.

The Department collects, compiles, and indexes
information on all questions of proposed legisla-
tion. It investigates and reports on the laws of
Maryland and other states at the request of the
Governor, any committee or member of the Gener-
al Assembly, or any State agency. At the request of
a member of the General Assembly, the Depart-
ment prepares or aids in the drafting of any law or
resolution. Each department of State government
must transmit to the Department of Legislative
Reference at least two copies of each of its reports,
which are used for exchange and reference pur-
poses. The Department keeps a complete index and
a complete file on all bills introduced in the
General Assembly from 1918 to the present. It also
keeps copies of the codes and laws of other states,