Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1915-10-08
CHAPTER 673.

An Act to amend the Constitution of
to be entitled, Article XVII providing for
THE Referendum" and to provide for the |
submission Of said amendment to the |
qualified voters of the State for adoption
or rejection.
Section l. Be it enacted by the General |
Assembly of Maryland (three-fifths of all |
the members elected to each of the two |
Houses concurring). That the following |
new and additional Article, to be known |
as Article XVI, title, THE Referendum"
be and the same is hereby proposed as an |
amendment to the Constitution of Mary |
land, and if adopted by the legal and quail |
fed voters thereof, as herein provided, il |
shall stand as part and as a new and ad-
ditional Article of said Constitution, to be |
known and entitled as aforesaid
ARTICLE XVI. THE REFERENDUM.
Section (a). The people reserve TO
themselves the power known as The Refer |
endum. by petition to have submitted to |
the registered voters of the State, to ap- |
prove or reject at the polls, any Act, or |
part Of any Act of the General Assembly, |
il approved by the Governor, or. if passed |
by the General Assembly over the veto of |
the Governor
(b) The provisions of this Article shall |
be self-executing; provided that additional
legislation in furtherance thereof and not
in conflict Herewith may be enacted.
Sec. 2. No law enacted by the General
Assembly shall take effect until the first
day of June next after the session at which
1t may be passed. unless it contain Sec
ton declaring such law an emergency law
and necessary for the immediate preserva-
ton Of the public health or safety, and
passed upon yea and ney vote supported
by three-fifths Of all the members elected
to each Of the two Houses of the General
Assembly; provided however, that said
period OF suspension may be extended as
provided in Section 8 (b) hereof. II before
said first day of June there shall have been
filed with the Secretary Of the State pc
tition to refer to vote of the people any
law or part of law capable of referendum,
as in this Article provided, the same shall
be referred by the Secretary of State to
such vote, and shall not become law or
take effect until thirty days after its ap-
proval by majority Of the electors voting
thereon at the next election held through
out the State of Members for the House of
Representatives Of the United States. An
emergency law shall remain in force not
repealed thirty days after having been
rejected by a majority of the qualified
electors voting thereon provided, however,
that no measure creating or abolishing any
office, or changing the salary, term or duty
OF any officer, or granting any franchise or
special privilege, or creating any vested
right or interest, shall be enacted as an
emergency law. No law making any ap-
preparation for maintaining the State Gov
eminent, or for maintaining or aiding any
public institution, not exceeding the next
previous appropriation for the same pur-
pose, shall be subject to rejection or repeal
under this section. The increase in any
such appropriation for maintaining or aid
ing any public institution shall only take
effect as in the case of other laws, and such
increase or any part thereof specified in
the petition, may be referred to a vote of
the people upon petition.
Sec. 3 (a). The referendum petition
against an Act or part of an Act passed
by the General Assembly, shall be sufficient
if signed by ten thousand qualified voters
of the State of Maryland, of whom not
more than half shall be residents of Balti-
more City. or of any one county; provided
that any public local law for any one coun-
ty or the City of Baltimore shall be referred
by the Secretary of State only to the peO-
pie OF said county or City of Baltimore,
upon referendum petition of 10 per cent.
OF the qualified voters of said county or
City of Baltimore as the case may be, cal
culated upon the whole number of votes
cast therein respectively for Governor al
the last preceding Gubernatorial election.
OBJ If more than one-half, but less than
the full number of signatures required to
complete any referendum petition against
any law passed by the General Assembly.
be filed with Secretary of State before the
first day of June, the time for the law to
take effect, and for filing the remainder of
signatures to complete the petition shall
be extended to the thirtieth day of the
same month with like effect.
Sec. 4. A petition may consist of several
papers, but each paper shall contain the
full text Of the Act or part of Act petitioned
upon; and there shall be attached to each
such paper an affidavit of the person pro-
curing the signatures thereon that of the
said person own personal knowledge every
signature thereon is genuine and bona fide, |
and that the signers are registered voters
of the State of Maryland. and of the City of
Baltimore, or county, as the case may be.
as set opposite their names, and no other
verification shall be required.
Sec (a). The General Assembly shall
provide for furnishing the voters of the
State the text Of all measures to be voted
upon by the people; provided, that until
otherwise provided by law the same shall
be published in the manner prescribed by |
Article XIV Of the Constitution for the pub |
LEGATION of proposed Constitutional Amend |
ments
(b) All laws referred under the provis- |
ions of this Article shall be submitted SEN |
~ N ha hal m he ~.
people, but II containing more than two |
hundred words, the full text shall not be |
printed on the official ballots. but the Sec |
rotary OF State shall prepare and submit a |
ballot title OF each such measure in such |
form as to present the purpose of said |
measure concisely and intelligently The |
ballot title may be distinct from the legis- |
lative title, but in any case the legisla- |
tive title shall be sufficient Upon each
of the ballots. following the ballot title or |
text, as the case may be, of each such |
measure. there shall be printed the words, |
For the referred law" and Against the |
referred law. as the case may be. The |
votes cast for and against any such re-
ferred law shall be returned to the Governor |
in the manner prescribed with respect to 1
proposed amendments to the Constitution /
under Article XIV Of this Constitution, and |
the Governor shall proclaim the result of |
the election, and, il ii shall appear that the
majority Of the votes cast on any such
measure were cast in favor thereof, the
Governor shall by his proclamation declare
the same having received a majority of
the votes to have been adopted by the
people Of Maryland as part Of the laws
Of the State, to take effect thirty days after
such election, and in like manner and with
like effect the Governor shall proclaim the
result of the local election as to any Pub
lie Local Law which shall have been sub
mitted to the voters of any county or the