LEGISLATURE

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Louis L. GOLDSTEIN, President of the Senate
JOHN C. LUBER, Speaker of the House of Delegates

The legislative powers of the State of Maryland are vested in the
General Assembly which consists of two distinct branches, the Senate
and the House of Delegates (Const. 1867, Art. Ill, sec. 1). The General
Assembly at the present time consists of 162 members: 29 Senators
and 123 members of the House of Delegates. Each county and each
of the six Legislative Districts of the city of Baltimore is entitled to
one Senator. The members of the House of Delegates are elected by
the counties and the Legislative Districts of Baltimore City. The
number of Delegates for each county varies from two to six and each
Legislative District is entitled to six delegates. This membership form-
erly was determined by a formula based upon population (set forth
in the Constitution); but, by the terms of a Constitutional amendment
adopted in 1950, the membership of the House of Delegates was
frozen at its then current number (III, 6).

Every Senator or Delegate must be a citizen of the State, and a
resident of it for at least three years preceding the date of his elec-
tion and the last year thereof, he must have resided in the county or
the Legislative District of Baltimore City which he represents.
A Senator must be at least twenty-five years of age at the
time of his election and a Delegate at least twenty-one. No member
of Congress or any person holding a civil or military office under the
United States Government nor any clergyman or minister shall be
eligible for election to the General Assembly (III, 9, 10, 11). The
term of each Senator and Delegate shall be for four years from the
date of his election (XVII). All vacancies occurring in either
House through death, resignation or disqualification shall be filled by
the Governor, who shall appoint a person whose name is submitted
to him in writing by the State Central Committee of the party to
which the person holding the vacated seat belonged, and the person
appointed must be affiliated with that party. All persons so appointed
shall serve for the unexpired portion of the term (III, 13, amended
November 1936). Each House shall elect its own officers and shall
be judge of its own members and shall establish rules for the con-
duct of its business.

The General Assembly meets annually. Sessions in odd-numbered
years begin the first Wednesday in January and are limited to ninety
days; the sessions meeting in even-numbered years begin the first
Wednesday of February and are limited to thirty days. The sessions
in even-numbered years are limited to the consideration of budgetary
matters, matters in the general public welfare and legislation of an
emergency nature. The Governor may call special sessions at any
time he deems it necessary (III, 14, amended).

The General Assembly is required to pass at each regular session
a budget bill which shall contain the budget for the State govern-
ment for the next fiscal year. Upon the passage of the bill by both
Houses, it becomes law without further action (III, 52).

The General Assembly has power to pass such laws as are necessary
for the welfare of the State, and in addition, it has the power to pass
public local laws for counties and special taxing areas. The Home
Rule Amendment of 1954 (XI-E) almost entirely prohibits the Gen-
era] Assembly from passing local legislation regarding incorporated