first reading. Senate legislation appears on white
paper and House legislation on blue paper.
The Constitution of Maryland requires that
before any bill becomes law, it must be read on three
different days in each house, for a total of six read-
ings. A bill may not be read for the third time in its
house of origin until it has been reprinted. The
Constitution also specifies that a bill must be passed
in each house by a majority vote of the total mem-
bership, and the final vote on third reading in each
house must be recorded.
The Senate and the House of Delegates may
adopt a "consent calendar" procedure if members of
each house receive reasonable notice of the bills
placed on each consent calendar. The consent calen-
dar is a list of bills to be read and voted upon as a
group (Const., Art. II, sec. 17; Art. Ill, sees. 27,28).
This procedure greatly expedites the legislative
process. In 1988, the Senate revised its rules to place
bills and joint resolutions on consent calendars by
category as they are voted out of committee (Senate
Rule 55). The House of Delegates still retains a
Consent Calendars Committee to determine which
bills and joint resolutions may be included on con-
sent calendars (House Rules 18 and 55).
The Constitution also provides for an annual
budget bill. Each year, the Governor presents a bill
to the General Assembly containing the budget for
State government for the next fiscal year. The
budget bill, however supplemented or amended,

must be balanced; total estimated revenues always
must be equal to or exceed total appropriations
(Const., Art. Ill, sec. 52(5a)). If the General As-
sembly has not acted upon the budget bill seven
days before the expiration of a regular session, the
Governor, by proclamation, may extend the session
as necessary for action to be taken on the bill. After
both houses pass the budget bill, it becomes law
without further action (Const., Art III, sec. 52).
Bills may be introduced throughout the ninety
days of a session, bur the later a bill is introduced,
the more difficult its passage becomes. Any Senate
bill introduced after the 24ch calendar day of a
session must be referred to the Senate Rules Com-
mittee, cannot be required to be returned to the
floor except by a two-thirds vote of the member-
ship, and may not be petitioned from committee
(Senate Rule 32). A House bill introduced after the
45th calendar day must be referred to the House
Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, re-
quires a two-thirds vote to be returned to the floor,
and cannot be petitioned from committee (House
Rule 32). For a bill to be introduced during the last
35 days of a session, the rules must be suspended
by a two-thirds vote (Const., Art. Ill, sec. 27).
Except for the annual budget bill and bills creating
or amending State debts, a House bill that crosses
over to the Senate after the 76th day of session is
subject to the same restrictions as is a bill introduced
after the 24th day