pnncipal department in 1976, and in 1983, the
Department of Employment and Training was
created

In 1987, a second major reorganization of
government 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

The General Assembly in 1989 formed a new
Department of Juvenile Services and reassigned
functions of the Department of State Planning to
other agencies

Within the executive branch now are fifteen
pnncipal departments Each, except for Education,
is headed by a secretary, who serves at the pleasure
of the governor and is appointed by the governor
with Senate consent Each secretary carries out the
governor's policies pertaining to that department
and is responsible for the department's operation
The State Department of Education is headed by
the State Board of Education, which appoints the
state superintendent of schools to direct the depart
ment Certain State agencies whose purpose or
functions do not permit easy integration into one
of the fifteen cabinet level departments have
remained independent, such as the State Depart
ment of Assessments and Taxation, the Public Ser-
vice Commission, and the University of Maryland
System Executive departments and independent
agencies are augmented by special study commis-
sions and task forces at the discretion of the gover
nor

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
The Legislative Branch consists of the General
Assembly and its supporting agencies General As-
sembly is the legal name 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 after the federal census to ensure
equal representation based on the concept of "one
person, one vote " Geographical size of the districts
vanes according to population density

Like all states but Nebraska, Maryland has a
bicameral legislature The lower house is the House
of Delegates and the upper house is 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

Maryland Govemment/21

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 passes all laws
necessary for the welfare of the State's citizens and
certain laws dealing with the counties and special
taxing districts, determines how State funds are to
be allocated, and adopts amendments to the State
Constitution, subject to ratification by the voters
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 vanous commit-
tees—statutory, standing, and joint—to facilitate its
work during and between sessions The legislative
branch also encompasses several State agencies
The Department of Legislative Reference assists in
the preparation of legislation and maintains infor
mation services essential for legislators and the
public The Department of Fiscal Services prepares
financial impact statements and monitors fiscal
functions for the General Assembly

One of the single most important tasks of the
General Assembly, and one that requires close coor-
dination and consultation with the Executive
Department, is adoption of the annual State
budget The Constitution specifies that it is the
responsibility of the governor to present the annual
budget to the General Assembly within five days of
the beginning of each legislative session The
budget of Maryland must not exceed anticipated
revenues This requirement prevents deficit spend-
ing and accounts 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 incorporate into the budget
unchanged requests from the legislative andjudicial
departments, as well as the estimated expenses re
quired for operating the public schools Beyond
these items and other obligations for certain State
debts and the salanes of officials specified in the
Constitution, the governor has considerable discre-
tion in determining what programs and agencies to
fund in the budget The budget process thus is a
major policy shaping tool for the governor Sup-
plemental budgets may be submitted by the gover-
nor after adoption of the annual budget, but all
requests for such funds must be matched by addi-
tional anticipated revenues

JUDICIAL BRANCH

The Judicial Branch is responsible for the resolu-
tion of all matters involving civil and cnnamal law
in the State of Maryland Judges base their decisions
on statutory law, common law, or equity Maryland