HOUSE BILL 346

1 law or part of a law capable of referendum, as in this Article provided, the same shall

2 be referred by the Secretary of State to such vote, and shall not become a law or take

3 effect until thirty days after its approval by a majority of the electors voting thereon

4 at the next ensuing election held throughout the State for Members of the House of

5 Representatives of the United States. An emergency law shall remain in force

6 notwithstanding such petition, but shall stand repealed thirty days after having been

7 rejected by a majority of the qualified electors voting thereon. No measure [creating

8 or abolishing any office, or] changing the salary [, term or duty] of any officer, or

9 granting any franchise or special privilege, or creating any vested right or interest,

10 shall be enacted as an emergency law. No law making any appropriation for

11 maintaining the State Government, or for maintaining or aiding any public

12 institution, not exceeding the next previous appropriation for the same purpose, shall

13 be subject to rejection or repeal under this Section. The increase in any such

14 appropriation for maintaining or aiding any public institution shall only take effect as

15 in the case of other laws, and such increase or any part thereof specified in the

16 petition, may be referred to a vote of the people upon petition.

17 SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the General Assembly

18 determines that the amendment to the Constitution of Maryland proposed by this Act

19 affects multiple jurisdictions and that the provisions of Article XIV, Section 1 of the

20 Constitution concerning local approval of constitutional amendments do not apply.

21 SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the aforegoing section

22 proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of Maryland shall be submitted to the

23 legal and qualified voters of this State at the next general election to be held in

24 November, 2002 for their adoption or rejection in pursuance of directions contained in

25 Article XIV of the Constitution of this State. At that general election, the vote on this

26 proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be by ballot, and upon each ballot

27 there shall be printed the words "For the Constitutional Amendment" and "Against

28 the Constitutional Amendment," as now provided by law. Immediately after the

29 election, all returns shall be made to the Governor of the vote for and against the

30 proposed amendment, as directed by Article XIV of the Constitution, and further

31 proceedings had in accordance with Article XIV.