HARRY HUGHES, Governor

3431

regarding this aspect of the bill that they adopted and
forwarded to me a resolution which urges the veto of the
measure. A copy of that resolution is attached and should
be considered a part of this veto message.

Others have expressed what I view as a legitimate
concern about the wisdom of the deliberate by-passing of the
intake consultant and the State's Attorney under the
procedures provided in House Bill 1678. I am not persuaded
that the mandatory trial of these matters and the resulting
obvious burdening of already overcrowded court dockets is
necessary in order to achieve the prime feature of this
bill, i.e., in order to deprive a youthful offender of his
or her motor vehicle operator's license. Indeed, I am
advised that although an intake consultant of a juvenile
court may not technically suspend or revoke a motor vehicle
operator's license, under current law he or she may, as a
condition of an informal adjustment, require that the
license be surrendered to either the intake consultant or
the minor's parents for a reasonable period of time.l/

Still others have objected to the unwise and apparently
inadvertant venue provisions of this bill. Specifically,
this bill would amend Section 3-808 of the Court's Article
so as to require that juveniles who receive citations under
this Act would have to be tried in the county of their
residence or domicile. For Ocean City alone, this
requirement would made the Act entirely unworkable and would
completely undermine the ability of the Ocean City Police
Department to deal with its perennial teenage drinking
problem.

Article II, Section 17 vests the veto power in the
Chief Executive for the express purpose, among others, of
"guarding against hasty or partial legislation". For the
foregoing reason, I have concluded that House Bill 1678
presently constitutes such legislation and therefore must be
vetoed.

Sincerely,
Harry Hughes
Governor

1/ Similarly, a judge may order the surrender of a license
as a condition of probation or suspension.

CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE
Bill No. 195

By: Councilmember Schaefer