MARVIN MANDEL, Governor                      1695

retirement allowances (including retirement allowances applicable to
members of the General Assembly after retirement or other cessation
of service) of the members of the General Assembly shall be as estab-
lished by a commission known as the General Assembly Compensa-
tion Commission. The Commission shall consist of nine members, five
of whom shall be appointed by the Governor, two of whom shall be
appointed by the President of the Senate, and two of whom shall be
appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates. Members of the
General Assembly, and officers and employees of the Government of
the State of Maryland or of any county, city or other governmental
unit of the State, shall not be eligible for appointment to the Commis-
sion. The members of the Commission shall be appointed within
twenty days after this Constitutional Amendment takes effect, and
their terms shall expire on May 81, 1975. Beginning with June 1,
1975, members of the Commission shall be appointed for terms of
four years. Members of the Commission are eligible for re-appoint-
ment. Any member of the Commission may be removed by the Gover-
nor prior to the expiration of his term for official misconduct, incom-
petency or neglect of duty. The members shall serve without com-
pensation but shall be reimbursed for expenses incurred in carrying
out their responsibilities under this section. Decisions of the Com-
mission must be concurred in by at least five members.

(3) Within fifteen days after the beginning of the regular session
of the General Assembly in 1970 1971, 1970 and within fifteen days
of the beginning of the regular session in each fourth year there-
after, the Commission shall by formal resolution submit its determi-
nations of compensation, expense allowances and retirement PER-
SONAL PER DIEM EXPENSE ALLOWANCES, MILEAGE AL-
LOWANCES AND RETIREMENT to the General Assembly. The
General Assembly may reduce, but shall not increase, any item in the
resolution. The resolution, with any reductions that shall have been
concurred in by both Houses, shall take effect and have the force of
law on January 1 of the year following its submission unless
negated by joint resolution of the General Assembly prior to that
time. The provisions thereof shall continue in force until super-
seded by any succeeding resolution which shall take effect. , provided
that the General Assembly may at any time reduce the level of bene-
fits of any of the items thereof.

(4) Until ratification of this amendment and the effective date of
compensation and retirement allowances established as hereinafter
set forth, the compensation and retirement allowances shall remain
as they were prior to ratification of this amendment.

27.

Any bill may originate in either House of the General Assembly
and be altered, amended or rejected by the other. No bill shall origi-
nate in either House during the last