Each state department, except for Education, is
headed by a secretary, appointed by the governor
with the consent of the Senate, who serves at the
pleasure of the governor. Each secretary carries
out the governor's policies regarding the particular
department and is responsible for the department's
operation. The Department of Education is headed
by the State Board of Education, which appoints
the state superintendent of schools to direct the
department. Certain state agencies whose purpose
or functions do not permit easy integration into
one of the fourteen cabinet-level departments have
remained independent, such as the State Depart-
ment of Assessments and Taxation, the Public
Service Commission, and the state universities and
colleges. These permanent executive departments,
agencies, and commissions are augmented by spe-
cial study commissions and task forces at the
discretion of the governor.

General Assembly is the legal designation of the
Maryland legislature. The General Assembly is
sometimes referred to as the "popular" branch of
government, because its members are more directly
representative of the electorate than are officials of
either the executive or judiciary. Legislators are
elected to both houses of the General Assembly
from districts redrawn every ten years to ensure an
equal representation based on the concept of "one
person one vote." The geographical size of the
districts varies according to population density, but
in all cases are sufficiently small so that the
electorate can be certain that their chosen repre-
sentatives are familiar with the concerns and
priorities of their specific area.

Like all states but Nebraska, Maryland has a
bicameral legislature. The lower house is known as
the House of Delegates and the upper house as the
Senate. Representatives to both houses are elected
in each gubernatorial election year for four-year
terms. Candidates for the House of Delegates must
be at least twenty-one years of age and those for
the Senate at least twenty-five. The House of
Delegates consists of 141 members, while the
Senate has 47 members. Both houses convene
annually on the second Wednesday in January for
a 90-day session. Sessions may be extended by
resolution of both houses, and special sessions may
be called by the governor. The General Assembly
is responsible for passing all laws necessary for the
welfare of the state's citizens, for legislation dealing
with the counties and special taxing districts, for
determining how state funds are to be allocated,
and for adopting amendments to the state Consti-
tution. Bills may be introduced in either house, and
when passed by both houses and signed by the
governor they become law.

Maryland at a Glance/7

The General Assembly employs various commit-
tees—statutory, standing, and joint—to facilitate
its work during and between sessions. The legisla-
tive branch also encompasses several state agen-
cies. The Department of Legislative Reference
assists in the preparation of legislation and main-
tains a library of material essential for legislators.
The Commission to Revise the Annotated Code is
involved in a multi-year reorganization and recodi-
fication of the laws of Maryland. The Department
of Fiscal Services prepares financial impact state-
ments and provides fiscal monitoring functions for
the General Assembly.

One of the single most important tasks of the
General Assembly, and one that requires close
coordination and consultation with the Executive
Department, is adoption of the annual state bud-
get. The Constitution specifies that it is the respon-
sibility of the governor to present the annual
budget to the General Assembly within five days of
the beginning of each legislative session. Unlike
many other states, the budget of Maryland must
not exceed anticipated revenues, thus preventing
deficit spending and accounting in large part for
the excellent bond rating enjoyed by the state.
Reflecting the principle of separation of powers
within state government, the governor must incor-
porate into the budget unchanged requests from
the legislative and judicial departments, as well as
the estimated expenses required for operating the
public schools. Beyond these items and other
obligations for certain state debts and the salaries
of officials specified in the Constitution, the gover-
nor has considerable discretion in determining
what programs and agencies to fund in the budget.
The budget process is thus a major policy-shaping
tool for the governor. Supplemental budgets may
be submitted by the governor after adoption of the
annual budget, but all requests for such funds must
be matched by additional anticipated revenues.
The importance and complexity of the state budget
is indicated by the size of the annual request. In
fiscal year 1985, total budgeted expenditures a-
mounted to $6,952,765,551, or more than $1,598
for every man, woman, and child resident in the
state.

The Judiciary is responsible for the resolution of
all matters involving civil and criminal law in the
State of Maryland. Judges base their decisions on
statutory law, common law, or equity. As the
population of Maryland has grown and society has
become more complex, the judiciary has been
reshaped to more effectively and efficiently deal
with litigation and other matters requiring judicial
determination. What has evolved is a four-tiered
court system consisting of the District Courts,