DEPARTMENT OF LEGISLATIVE
REFERENCE

F. Carvel Payne, Director

Legislative Services Building
90 Stare Circle
Annapolis, MD 21401 841-3865

The Department of Legislative Reference, as one
of the two principal staffing agencies of the General
Assembly serves the needs of the legislature and its
committees and provides information to the public
about the General Assembly and its activities.

Originally created in 1906 to serve the Baltimore
City Council (Chapter 565, Acts of 1906), the
Department also began assisting the General As-
sembly of Maryland in 1916 (Chapter 474, Acts of
1916). The State's portion of the Department was
transferred in 1965 to the Legislative Branch
(Chapter 453, Acts of 1965). In 1966, the Depart-
ment severed any affiliation with the City of Bal-
timore and established permanent offices in
Annapolis (Chapter 571, Acts of 1966).

Historically, the principal functions of the
Department have been to research and draft legis-
lation for members of the General Assembly and to
serve as a source for legislative bills, enactments,
journals, documents, records, and the codifications
of State and local laws.

The Department, however, has other important
responsibilities that play an integral part in the work
of the General Assembly These include: providing
professional legal and research staff support to legisla-
tive committees, subcommittees, task forces, and com-
missions; providing ongoing statutory revision
services for the General Assembly; and maintaining an
active program of research, planning, and specialized
information services for the General Assembly and its
committees. The Department also reviews and
analyzes regulations proposed by Executive Branch
agencies; provides legislative and general library
resource materials and information services to mem-
bers of the General Assembly and the public; and
provides computerized services for legislative pur-
poses, including the preparation ofbills, laws, journals,
and other doucments, as well as automated searches
of the law for information and research.

The Department operates through the Office of
the Director and four Divisions: Legislative, Re-
search, Library and Information Services, and
Computer Services.

LEGISLATIVE DIVISION
Michael I. Volk, Director
841-3848

The Legislative Division provides legal and re-
lated staff services to the General Assembly The
Division drafts and reviews nearly all bills and
amendments introduced or considered by the
General Assembly In a typical year, the Division
writes over 3,500 bills and joint resolutions and
prepares over 2,000 amendments to them.
As part of its drafting responsibility the Division
participates extensively in the formal on-going non-
substantive bulk revision of the statutory laws of
Maryland into major Articles oftheAwwoawa Code
of Maryland.
The Division provides professional staff services
to six of the ten major standing committees of the
General Assembly (four House committees and
two Senate committees). During the legislative ses-
sion, these staff members of the Division work
under the specific direction of committee chairper-
sons, and under the general direction of the
Division. Both during the session and in the interim
between sessions, the Division provides staff sup-
port for several legislative statutory and special
committees, task forces, and county delegations in
the House of Delegates.
The Division reviews and analyzes regulations
proposed for adoption by State agencies, legal
questions posed by legislators, and appellate court
decisions of interest to members of the General
Assembly
Division staff also prepares informational
materials and reports for the General Assembly

COMMITTEE STAFFING €rLEGAL REVIEW
Bonnie A. Kirkland, Deputy Director
841-3870

The Division provides professional legal staff to
six of the ten major standing committees of the
General Assembly (two Senate committees and
four House committees), several joint statutory and
special committees, several county delegations in
the House of Delegates, and during the interim,
numerous task forces and commissions. These staff
members work under the specific direction of com-
mittee chairmen and under the general direction of
the Division during and between the sessions of the
General Assembly The legislative analysts assigned
by the Division provide advisory, legal, research and
administrative support in an objective, nonpartisan
manner to the committees.