The Department operates through the Office of
the Director and five Divisions: Legislative; Library
and Information Services; Research; Computer
Services; and Administrative Services.

LEGISLATIVE DIVISION
Michael I. Volk, Director
(410) 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 Gen-
eral Assembly. The Division is organized under two
main units: Committee Staffing and Legal Review;
and Legislative Drafting and Statutory Revision.

COMMITTEE STAFFING & LEGAL REVIEW
Michael I. Volk, Director
(410) 841-3848

Committee Staffing. The Legislative Division
provides professional legal staff to five of the ten
major standing committees of the General Assem-
bly (two Senate committees and three House com-
mittees), several joint statutory and special
committees, several county delegations in the
House of Delegates, and during the interim, several
task forces and commissions. These staff members
work under the specific direction of committee
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.
Legal Review. In 1990, the Legislative Division
established Legal Review as a separate component
within the Division. Legal Review responds to re-
quests for legal opinions and advice pertinent to
legislation. This service is provided directly to mem-
bers of the General Assembly and to Legislative
Division staff. Legal Review also analyzes decisions
of the Court of Special Appeals and the Court of
Appeals and opinions of the Attorney General af-
fecting the State's laws in order to keep members of
the General Assembly informed of court decisions
that may raise issues for the legislature.
Legal Review also reviews and analyzes regula-
tions proposed by executive branch agencies on
behalf of the Joint Committee on Administrative,
Executive and Legislative Review, the statutory
committee responsible for legislative oversight of
the regulatory process. This review helps ensure
agency compliance with statutory authority, legisla-
tive intent, and public notice requirements.

LEGISLATIVE DRAFTING & STATUTORY
REVISION
William G. Somerville, Deputy Director &
Reviser of Statutes
(410) 841-3870

Legislative Drafting. As part of its role in the
enactment of Maryland's laws, the Legislative Divi-
sion provides nonpartisan professional staff to re-
search, draft, and prepare legislative bills at the
request of members of the State Senate and House
of Delegates. Each year, more than 3,500 bills and
joint resolutions and over 2,000 amendments are
drafted by Division staff.
After bills are introduced by members of the
General Assembly, the Division continues to play a
critical role in the legislative process by preparing,
reviewing, coordinating, and processing individu-
ally sponsored and committee initiated amend-
ments to bills. Amendments are formal changes that
can alter significantly the content of a bill.
Statutory Revision. The statutory revision func-
tion of the Legislative Division originated as the
Division of Statutory Revision, created in 1972
within the Department of Legislative Reference
(Chapter 182, Acts of 1972). The Division, also
known as the Code Revision Division, was incorpo-
rated into the Legislative Division in 1990 as an
integral component of the drafting responsibilities
of the Division. The statutory revision component
develops and prepares the comprehensive revision
and restatement of the Annotated Code of Maryland,
i.e., the statutory body of the laws of Maryland
(Code State Government Article, secs. 2-1315
through 2-1319).
The first reorganization and recodification of the
Code since 1888 was begun in 1970 by the Com-
mission to Revise the Annotated Code of Maryland.
The Commission was charged to study and revise
the Annotated Code in order to improve the organi-
zation, accessibility, utility, and clarity of law and to
eliminate unconstitutional, obsolete, inconsistent
or conflicting statutes. Until 1985, the Division of
Statutory Revision worked under Commission su-
pervision.
In 1985, the Legislative Policy Committee voted
to continue the work of the Commission under a
reorganized system of small committees with over-
sight from the Legislative Policy Committee and
continuing review by the General Assembly. Organ-
ized to direct and assist in the revision process, this
committee system includes the Code Revision
Committee and individual article review commit-
tees for articles in production. Currently under
review or planned are the following articles: Article
27; Ethics Law; and Insurance.
The General Assembly has enacted into law the
following twenty-two articles: Agriculture; Busi-
ness Occupations and Professions; Business Regu-