750/Maryland Manual

than the fifteenth day of the session The General Assembly
may amend the joint resolution to decrease the rccom
mended salaries, but may not amend the joint resolution to
increase the recommended salanes If the General Assemb
ly fails to adopt a )oint resolution in accordance with this
section within 50 days after its introduction, the salanes
recommended by the Commission shall apply If the
General Assembly amends the joint resolution in accord
ancc with this section, the salanes specified in the joint
resolution, as amended, shall apply If the Commission
recommends no salary change, a joint resolution shall not
be introduced

(e) The Commission may not recommend salanes
lower than that received by the incumbent Governor at the
time the recommendation is made, and the General As
sembly may not amend the joint resolution to provide for
salanes lower than that received by the incumbent Gover
nor and Lieutenant Governor

(f) A change in salary resulting from cither Commission
recommendation or amended joint resolution under this
section shall take effect at the beginning of the next ensuing
term of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor

(g) Commission inaction or failure of the Commission
to meet the requirements of this section with respect to
proposing a change in salary for the Governor and
Lieutenant Governor shall result in no change in salary

SEC. 22.⁴¹ A Secretary of State shall be appointed by
the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the
Senate, who shall continue in office, unless sooner removed
by the Governor, till the end of the official term of the
Governor from whom he received his appointment, and
receive such annual salary as the General Assembly may
from nmc to amc by law prescnbc

SEC. 23. The Secretary of State shall carefully keep
and preserve a Record of all official acts and proceedings,
which may at all times be inspected by a committee of
either Branch of the Legislature, and he shall perform such
other duties as may be prcscnbcd by Law, or as may
properly belong to his office, together with all clerical duty
belonging to the Executive Department

SEC. 24. The Governor may make changes in the
organization of the Executive Branch of the State Govern
mcnt, including the establishment or abolition of depart
ments, offices, agencies, and instrumentalities, and the
rcallocation or reassignment of functions, powers, and
duties among the departments, offices, agencies, and in
strumentahties of the Executive Branch Where these chan
gcs are inconsistent with existing law, or create new
governmental programs they shall be set forth in executive
orders in statutory form which shall be submitted to the
General Assembly within the first ten days of a regular
session An executive order that has been submitted shall
become effective and have the force of law on the date

Article in

designated in the Order unless specifically disapproved,
within fifty days after submission, by a resolution ofdisap
proval concurred in by a majonty vote of all members of
cither House of the General Assembly No executive order
reorganizing the Executive Branch shall abolish any office
established by this Constitution or shall change the powers
and duties delegated to particular officers or departments
by this Constitution

ARTICLE III.

LEGISLATIVE DEEARTMENT

SECTION 1. The Legislature shall consist of two
distinct branches, a Senate, and a House of Delegates, and
shall be styled the General Assembly of Maryland

SEC. 2.⁴³ The membership of the Senate shall consist
of forty seven (47) Senators The membership of the
House of Delegates shall consist of one hundred forty one
(141) Delegates

SEC. 3 ** The State shall be divided by law into
legislative districts for the election of members of the
Senate and the House of Delegates Each legislative distnct
shall contain one (1) Senator and three (3) Delegates
Nothing heroin shall prohibit the subdivision of any one or
more ofthe legislative districts for the purpose of electing
members ofthe House of Delegates into three (3) single
member delegate distncts or one (1) single-member
delegate distnct and one (1) multi member delegate dis
met

SEC. 4. Each legislative distnct shall consist of
adjoining tcmtoly be compact in form, and of substantially
equal population Due regard shall be given to natural
boundanes and the boundanes of political subdivisions

SEC. 5. Following each decennial census of the
United States and after public hearings, the Governor shall
prepare a plan setting forth the boundanes ofthe legislative
distncts for electing ofthe members ofthe Senate and the
House of Delegates

The Governor shall present the plan to the President of
the Senate and Speaker of the House of Delegates who
shall introduce the Governor's plan as a joint resolution to
the General Assemble not later than the first day of its
regular session in the second year following every census,
and the Governor may call a special session for the presen
tation of his plan pnor to the regular session Theplan shall
conform to Sections 2, 3 and 4 of this Article Following
each decennial census the General Assembly may by joint
resolution adopt a plan setting forth the boundanes ofthe
legislative districts for the election of members of the
Senate and the House of Delegates, which plan shall
conform to Sections 2,3 and 4 of this Article It a plan has
been adopted by the General Assembly by the 45th day
after the opening of the regular session of the General