WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER, Governor                     H.B. 1617

(3)     Each public school shall establish as the basis for its assessment of its
needs, project goals and objectives that are in keeping with the goals and objectives
established by its county board and the State Board;

(4)     With the assistance of its county board, the State Board, and the State
Superintendent, each public school shall develop programs to meet its needs on the basis
of the priorities it sets;

(5)     Evaluation programs shall be developed at the same time to determine if
the goals and objectives are being met; [and]

(6)     A reevaluation of programs, goals, and objectives shall be undertaken
regularly; AND

(7)     THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT SHALL PROVIDE COUNTY
GOVERNMENTS WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE THEIR ASSESSMENT OF A LOCAL
BOARD'S SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN PRIOR TO MAKING A RECOMMENDATION TO
THE STATE BOARD TO RECONSTITUTE A FAILING SCHOOL.

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect
October 1, 1994.

May 26, 1994

The Honorable Casper R. Taylor, Jr.
Speaker of the House of Delegates
State House
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Dear Mr. Speaker:

In accordance with Article II, Section 17 of the Maryland Constitution, I have today
vetoed House Bill 1617.

House Bill 1617 would codify, with membership requirements and standards, the
Permanent Nominating Caucus (PNC) in Harford County as the sole source of candidates
for gubernatorial appointment to the County's Board of Education and Community
College Board of Trustees. If a PNC candidate was rejected by the Governor, the PNC
would reconvene to nominate another. The impetus for the bill stems from last year's
controversial nomination process in which many caucus members were unaware or
misinformed of some candidates' policy positions.

The Harford County PNC has nominated candidates for over 30 years, although these
nominations were never binding on the Governor, who could appoint candidates
nominated from other sources. While PNC candidates have been routinely appointed
over the years with little or no controversy, I nonetheless believe that the Governor must
retain the freedom to choose the best candidate possible-even if that requires going
outside the list of PNC nominees. House Bill 1617, by restricting the pool of eligible
candidates, would limit this freedom.

Of particular concern is the possibility that certain groups or interests would achieve

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