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ARTICLE III.

Two branches of the LegislatureIts style.

Election of Senators.

Their term of
Office.

Apportionment

of Members of House of Delegates.

LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT.

SECTION 1. The Legislature shall consist of two distinct branches, a Senate and a House of Delegates, which shall be styled "The General Assembly of Maryland."

SEC. 2. Every county of the State, and the city of Baltimore, shall be entitled to elect one Senator, who shall be elected by the qualified voters of the counties and city of Baltimore, respectively, and who shall serve for four years from the day of their election.

SEC. 3. The Legislature at its first session after the returns of the national census of eighteen hundred and sixty are published, and in like manner after each subsequent census, shall apportion the members of the House of Delegates among the several counties of the State, according to the population of each, and shall always allow to the city of Baltimore four more Delegates than are allowed to the most populous county, but no county shall be entitled to less than two members, nor shall the whole number of delegates ever exceed eighty, or be less than sixty-five; and until the apportionment is made under the census of eighteen hundred and sixty; St. Mary's county shall be entitled to two delegates; Kent, two; Anne Arundel, three; Calvert, two; Charles, two; Baltimore county, six; Talbot, two; Somerset, four; Dorchester, three; Cecil, three; Prince George's, three; Queen Anne's,

two; Worcester, three; Frederick, six; Harford, three; Caroline, two; Baltimore city, ten; Washington, five; Montgomery, two; Allegany, four; Carroll, three, and Howard, two.

gates.

SEC. 4. The members of the House of Del- Election of Deleegates shall be elected by the qualified voters of the counties and city of Baltimore respectively, to serve for two years from the day of Their term of their election.

Office.

tions.

SEC. 5. The first election for delegates shall Time of Electake place on the first Wednesday of November, eighteen hundred and fifty-one; and the elections for delegates and for one-half of the Senators, as nearly as practicable, shall be held on the same day in every second year thereaf ter, but an election for Senators shall be held in the year eighteen hundred and fifty-one, in Howard county, and all those counties in which senators were elected in the year eighteen hundred and forty-six.

Senators.

SEC. 6. Immediately after the Senate shall Classification of have convened after the first election under this Constitution, the Senators shall be divided, by lot, into two classes, as nearly equal in number as may be the Senators of the first class shall go out of office at the expiration of two years, and Senators shall be elected on the first Wednesday of November, eighteen hundred and fifty-three, for the term of four years, to supply their places; so that, after the first election, one-half of the Senators may be chosen every second year; provided, that in no case shall any Senator be placed in a class which shall entitle him to serve for a longer term than that for which he was elected. In case the num

Time of Meetings of the General Assembly. Their

ber of Senators be hereafter increased, such classification of the additional Senators shall be made as to preserve as nearly as may be an equal number in each class.

SEC. 7. The General Assembly shall meet Sessions biennial on the first Wednesday of January, eighteen hundred and fifty two, on the same day, in the year eighteen hundred and fifty-three, and on the same day in the year eighteen hundred and fifty-four, and on the same day in every second year thereafter, and at no other time unless convened by the proclamation of the Governor.

Time of adjourn

ment.

Qualifications of Senators and Delegates.

SEC. 8. The General Assembly may continue their first two sessions after the adoption of this Constitution, as long as, in the opinion of the two Houses, the public interests may require it, but all subsequent regular sessions of the General Assembly shall be closed on the tenth day of March next ensuing the time of their commencement, unless the same shall be closed at an earlier day by the agreement of the two Houses.

SEC. 9. No person shall be eligible as a Senator or Delegate who, at the time of his election, is not a citizen of the United States, and who has not resided at least three years next preceding the day of his election in this State, and the last year thereof in the county or city which he may be chosen to represent, if such county or city shall have been so long established, and if not, then in the county from which, in whole or in part, the same may have been formed; nor shall any person be eligible as a Senator unless he shall have attained the age of twenty-five years, nor as a delegate un

less he shall have attained the age of twentyone years at the time of his election.

as Senators or

SEC. 10. No member of Congress, or per- Persons ineligible son holding any civil or military office under Delegates. the United States, shall be eligible as a sena- 1853, ch. 280. tor or delegate; and if any person shall, after his election as a Senator or Delegate, be elected to Congress, or be appointed to any office, civil or military, under the government of the United States, his acceptance thereof shall vacate his

seat.

SEC. 11. No Minister or Preacher of the Same. Gospel, of any denomination, and no person holding any civil office of profit or trust under this State, except Justices of the Peace, shall be eligible as Senator or Delegate.

House.

SEC. 12. Each House shall be judge of the Powers of each qualifications and elections of its members, subject to the laws of the State-appoint its own officers, determine the rules of its own proceedings, punish a member for disorderly or disrespectful behaviour, and with the consent of two-thirds, expel a member; but no member shall be expelled a second time for the same offence.

SEC. 13. A majority of each House shall Quorum. constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and compel the attendance of absent members, in such manner and under such penalties as each House may prescribe.

open.

SEC. 14. The doors of each House and of Sessions to be committees of the whole shall be open, except when the business is such as ought to be kept secret.

Journals to be published.

SEC. 15. Each House shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and cause the same to be Yeas and Nays. published. The yeas and nays of members on any question shall, at the call of any five of them, in the House of Delegates, or one in the Senate, be entered on the journal.

1853, ch. 36.

Special Adjourn

ments.

Style of Laws.

Mode of their enactment.

Codification of
Laws,

1852, Res. 4.

Amendments.

Additions.

SEC. 16. Neither House shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days; nor to any other place than that in which the House shall be sitting, without the concurrent vote of two-thirds of the members present.

SEC. 17. The style of all laws of this State shall be, "Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland," and all laws shall be passed by original bill, and every law enacted by the Legislature shall embrace but one subject, and that shall be described in the title, and no law or section of law shall be revived, amended or repealed by reference to its title or section only; and it shall be the duty of the Legislature, at the first session after the adoption of this Constitution, to appoint two commissioners learned in the law, to revise and codify the laws of this State; and the said commissioners shall report the said code, so formed, to the Legislature, within a time to be by it determined, for its approval, amendment, or rejection; and if adopted, after the revision and codification of the said laws, it shall be the duty of the Legislature, in amending any article or section thereof, to enact the same as the said article or section would read when amended. And whenever the Legislature shall enact any public general law, not amendatory of any sec

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