Licensing and Regulation, Economic and Com-
munity Development, Transportation, and Agri-
culture. The Department of Education was made
a principal department in 1976, and in 1983 the
Department of Employment and Training was
created.

In 1987, a second major reorganization of gov-
ernment was enacted by the General Assembly.
The Departments of Economic and Community
Development, and Employment and Training
were abolished. The Departments of Economic
and Employment Development, the Environment,
and Housing and Community Development were
created.

Within the executive branch, there are now fif-
teen principal departments. Each, except for Edu-
cation, is headed by a secretary, appointed by the
governor with the consent of the Senate, who
serves at the pleasure of the governor. Each secre-
tary 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 Educa-
tion, which appoints the state superintendent of
schools to direct the department. Certain state
agencies whose purpose or functions do not per-
mit easy integration into one of the fifteen cabinet-
level departments have remained independent,
such as the State Department of Assessments and
Taxation, the Public Service Commission, and the
state universities and colleges. These permanent
executive departments, agencies, and commissions
are augmented by special study commissions and
task forces at the discretion of the governor.

The Legislative Branch consists of the General
Assembly and its supporting agencies. General
Assembly is the legal name of the Maryland legis-
lature. The General Assembly is sometimes re-
ferred to as the "popular" branch of government,
because its members are more directly representa-
tive of the electorate than are officials of either the
executive or judiciary. Legislators are elected to
both houses of the General Assembly from dis-
tricts redrawn after the federal census every ten
years to ensure an equal representation based on
the concept of "one person one vote." The geo-
graphical size of the districts varies according to
population density.

Like all states but Nebraska, Maryland has a bi-
cameral 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 Del-
egates 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 ex-
tended by resolution of both houses, and special
sessions may be called by the governor. The Gen-
eral Assembly is responsible for passing all laws
necessary for the welfare of the state's citizens and
certain laws dealing with the counties and special
taxing districts, for determining how state funds
are to be allocated, and for adopting amendments
to the state Constitution. Bills may be introduced
in either house, and when passed by both houses
and signed by the governor they become law.

The General Assembly employs various com-
mittees—statutory, standing, and joint—to facili-
tate its work during and between sessions. The
legislative branch also encompasses several state
agencies. The Department of Legislative Refer-
ence assists in the preparation of legislation and
maintains information services essential for legis-
lators and the public. The Department of Fiscal
Services prepares financial impact statements and
provides fiscal monitoring functions for the Gen-
eral Assembly.

One of the single most important tasks of the
General Assembly, and one that requires close co-
ordination and consultation with the Executive
Department, is adoption of the annual state budg-
et. 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. Re-
flecting the principle of separation of powers with-
in state government, the governor must incorpo-
rate into the budget unchanged requests from the
legislative and judicial departments, as well as the
estimated expenses required for operating the pub-
lic schools. Beyond these items and other obliga-
tions for certain state debts and the salaries of offi-
cials specified in the Constitution, the governor
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 reve-
nues. The importance and complexity of the state