Evening star., 1950-03-26
Lane Will Treat
Local Measures
LikeAny Others
Won't Veto 81 Bills
Just Because of Doubt
On ConstitutionoIity
By the Asxoeiated Prssx

ANNAPOLIS, Mar. 25.-Gov.
Lane announced tonight he will
treat local bills just like any
others.
No legislation will be vetoed just
because it Is local. he said.
Gov. Lane plans to act Tuesday
on LOG bills left over from the 1850
General Assembly. Thirty-four of
these are of doubtful constitu-
tionality. Attorney General Hall
Hammond has ruled.
One of those in the latter cate
CORY is the bill of Senator L. Har-
old Sothoron. Prince Georges, re-
organizing the local government
of his county.
New Life for Bingo Bill.
Courts assert there is always
the presumption that a legislature
acted constitutionally. and that
this presumption cannot be nulli-
fed by doubt alone" Gov. Lane
said in statement.
I'm view of the affirmative as
sertion by the legislature that
these bills comply with the con-
stitutional limitations, for me, as
Governor, to withhold my ap-
proval of them would mean that I
deny the opportunity to have such
questions as may exist to be ju-
dicially determined.
This am unwilling to do"
His statement breathed new life
into a Carroll County bingo bill,
q Mount Savage street lights bill,
a bill to raise the salaries of the
Wicomico County commissioners
and similar legislation.
May Not Sign All Doubtful Bills.
The State House said Gov.
Lanes statement did not mean he
would necessarily sign all "a of
the bills earmarked by Mr.. Ham
mond.
The attorney general held that
q constitutional amendment pro-
viding for short 30-day budget
sessions restricted legislation they
could consider to state fiscal af-
fairs. matters in the general
public interest,"" and acute emer-
gencies.
In Maryland's first short ses-
sion, which adjourned three weeks
ago, debates ragged over which bills
we're eligible and which should be
killed as failing to meet the
standards.
Mr.. Hammond indicated that
some Of those which got through
may not have met the require
ments. Legislators have pre-
dicted court tests of any in the
doubtful category.
OF the TIA bills enacted by the
legislature. Gov. Lane has already
signed six and vetoed one. His
$144,2 4,203,564 budget bill became
law automatically on passage
without the need for signature.
Cites ; Schools of Thought.
Gov. Lanes statement had this
to say about the questioned meas
ures:
practically all of these bills,
by legislative declaration, assert
in their text that they represent
acute emergencies. In order to
comply with the limitations i'm
posed upon this session, the Cen
eral Assembly appointed rules
committees in the Senate and
House, whose duty it was to deter
mine whether each of the bills
introduced complied with the con-
stitutional limitations. All of the
bills in question were all reported
favorably as so complying.
"As to whether there is an
acute emergency. there are two
schools of thought and two lines
OF decision.
1.-THE first line holds that the
declaration by the General AS
sembly Of an emergency is not
subject to judicial review. Usual
ly these cases arise under pro-
visions which are comparable to
Article 16 of the constitution and
grant q right of referendum.
"The second line of cases holds
that the legislative declaration of
an emergency is renewable. Some
proponents of this view, however.
point out that the legislative dec
laration in conclusive unless a.
court says that such declaration,
on its face, is obviously false and
q palpable attempt at dissimula-