The starting point of any legislation (bills and/or joint resolutions) is a Maryland legislator introducing them into the General Assembly during a legislative session.
This year, the legislative session began January 5th with an onslaught of legislative proposals from representatives around the state. The topic of the bill or resolution determines where the review process for the document begins. COSA Maryland is kicking off the session on February 2nd with Citizen Action Day.
The Convention of States (COS) application will be submitted as a joint resolution. A Joint Resolution is filed as separate (but linked) documents in the Senate and the House of Delegates. Though filled separately, the two resolutions must be identical in wording. For the upcoming 2022 legislative session, COS Maryland is fortunate to have a lead sponsor in both chambers of the General Assembly: Senator Justin Ready and Delegate Mark Fisher. These two legislators will introduce the COS resolution in the 2022 Maryland legislative session.
Once the resolution has been introduced, commonly referred to as the “First Reading of the Bill or Resolution,” it is assigned to a standing committee in each chamber. That is, a committee in the Senate and a separate committee in the House of Delegates will each be assigned to consider the resolution. The committee’s job is to determine if the proposed legislation is worthy of further debate. This is accomplished by a majority of the members of the committee being in favor moving the proposed legislation on to the next step towards passage.
The committee will then invite proponents and opponents of the proposed legislation to testify before them as to its merits or faults. This happens during what is referred to as a committee hearing. After hearing all testimony, the committee will hold a vote.
The majority of proposed bills do not survive the committee process. The committee process acts as a filter to determine what is worthy of the full General Assembly’s time. If there is not a ground-swell of support for proposed legislation, it will ‘die in committee.’
The members of the committees who will determine if the COS resolution is worthy of ‘further debate’ must hear from the citizens of Maryland, en masse. This is why your support is crucial.
The COS resolution will be introduced to the Senate and House of Delegates committees as follows:
Senate - Education, Health & Environmental Affairs Committee
House of Delegates - Rules and Executive Nominations Committee
The main way to support the COS resolution is to contact your Maryland state delegate or senator as well as the members of the above committees and ask them to support the COS resolution. If you are a constituent of one or more of the members of the above committees, your support is essential!
Contact your legislators in Annapolis and let them know they should support our call for an Article V Convention of States. Handwritten notes, phone calls, email, and meetings with your representatives are important ways to let them know you believe they should support the COS resolution.
In 2022, be a Twenty First Century Patriot. Stand up for the truth and sign the petition calling for an Article V Convention of States to fight government overreach, overspending, and politicians overstaying their welcome. Then, take action, spread the word, and get everyone you know to sign.
