small county representatives would like to
have, I feel I would like to offer it as an
amendment and add Delegate Grant and
Delegate Ritter to it.
Since it is not the will of the Commit-
tee, I should like to step down as Committee
Chairman and have either the Vice Chair-
man or one of the other members of the
Committee speak against it because in of-
fering it I go against the Committee wishes
with respect to this matter. Nevertheless,
I feel strongly about it and would like to
have it offered for consideration to the
Committee of the Whole.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Gallagher,
who were the additional sponsors?
DELEGATE GALLAGHER: Messrs.
Grant and Ritter. It would be the one that
is marked JQ.
THE CHAIRMAN: The Clerk will read
the amendment.
READING CLERK: Amendment No.
12—
THE CHAIRMAN: Amendment No. 12
to Committee Recommendation LB-1. Please
distribute the amendment.
READING CLERK: Amendment No. 12
to Committee Recommendation LB-I, by
Delegate Gallagher, Chairman of the Com-
mittee of the Legislative Branch, and
Delegates Ritter and Grant: On page 2
Section 3.04, Composition of the Legisla-
ture, line 6, after the period insert the fol-
lowing:
"Any county which is not entitled to at
least one delegate elected completely within
the boundaries of the county shall be en-
titled to a non-voting legislative agent in
the House of Delegates."
THE CHAIRMAN: Is the amendment
seconded?
Delegate Gleason seconds?
DELEGATE GLEASON: Yes.
THE CHAIRMAN: The Chair recog-
nizes Delegate Gallagher to speak to the
amendment.
DELEGATE GALLAGHER: Very
briefly, Mr. Chairman, the amendment
would provide that any county which is
not entitled to at least one delegate elected
completely within the boundaries of the
county shall be entitled to a non-voting
legislative agent in the House of Delegates.
This proposal is prompted by the desire |
to enable those counties which do not have
a member in the House of Delegates to have
someone represent them on their own be-
half in the General Assembly and be en-
titled to all the privileges of membership
in the House of Delegates, other than vot-
ing in Committee and on the floor of the
House.
In other words, they would be privileged
to introduce legislation, to speak to it in
Committee, and to speak to it on the floor,
although they could not vote either in Com-
mittee or on the floor.
This legislation, or this proposal, might
be accomplished by legislation rather than
by Constitutional inclusion.
Nevertheless, I feel that it should be
given consideration on a Constitutional
basis, and I would urge its adoption.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Della is
the Vice-Chairman of the Committee. I
have sent out to see if he is nearby to find
out if he wants to speak in opposition.
Delegate Gallagher.
DELEGATE GALLAGHER: I would
say, Mr. Chairman, that Delegates Hanson
and Scanlan, who were usually with the
chairman in most matters, were very vo-
ciferous against him with respect to this
proposal, and either one of them could do
a decent job of trying to shoot this down.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Scanlan,
the Chair would prefer to give Delegate
Della, the Vice-Chairman of the Commit-
tee, the first opportunity to speak.
DELEGATE DELLA: Do you desire to
speak in opposition to Amendment No. 12?
DELEGATE DELLA: Yes, Mr. Chair-
man, I do.
Mr. Chairman, this particular proposal
was presented to the Committee and by a
15 to 5 vote was rejected.
I find myself somewhat in the embar-
rassing position of seeming to be against
small counties, but in reality, I am not.
We have a legislative agent by this pro-
posal who has no voice and no vote. I do
not know who is going to pay him, whether
the county is going to pay him or the State,
or whether he will become a candidate for
that particular office, as a representative
of any given political subdivision.
We can not know which county will be
denied a representative by the vote. It
could be possible for a delegate to repre- |
