Maryland's Legislative Session
Each year, the Maryland Legislature meets in a regular session for ninety days starting on the second Wednesday of January.
Your Convention of States Maryland volunteer team has been pounding the pavement and engaging legislators in your local voting districts to garner support for the Convention of States legislation, referred to as a Joint Resolution.
We're hosting Citizen Action Day on February 2nd in Annapolis. Learn more here and complete the survey.
Petitioning Your Government
COS petitions signed by you, friends, and family inform legislators (by email when you hit the submit button) that we support the COS legislation. Each petition signed informs legislators that the people of Maryland mean business-- Convention of States business in fact.
Strength in numbers through petition signers is our strongest message to legislators to garner support in the legislative process.
Maryland's Legislative Process and the COS Joint Resolution
The second crucial action is to get Maryland legislators to propose the bill to the legislative process.
Due to the fact that the COS legislation is actually a power given to state legislators via the U.S. Constitution and not the Maryland Constitution, legislation of this type is introduced as a “Joint Resolution” in the Maryland General Assembly.
It is important to understand Article V of the U.S. Constitution grants state legislatures the power to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution in the form of a convention of states. This is a federal power granted to the state legislatures across the country.
The Resolution and the Governor
The main difference between a bill and resolution is that resolutions do not get codified in the Annotated Code to become a law. The governor cannot veto the resolution, although he or she may or may not sign the resolution. Furthermore, the governor has no constitutional power to halt or pass a Joint Resolution.
How to Pass a Joint Resolution in Maryland
The Maryland Constitution bill and resolution passage is complex and described in detail here. What’s important to recognize is that, in order to pass, the COS resolution will need to reach the floor of both the House of Delegates and the Senate for a vote.
At this point, 51% of each body will need to vote in favor of the resolution. To achieve this, it will take active engagement by the citizens of Maryland to inform their legislators that support for this resolution is strong.
Back to Basics: What's Next?
If you have signed the petition, thank you! If you have not, please consider supporting our cause by signing the petition. In addition, active engagement by reaching out to your legislative representatives is just as important as the petition.
Then, spread the word! Get as many people as you can to sign too!
If you are frustrated with federal overreach, lack of fiscal responsibility and believe in term limits, it is crucially important that as a citizen of Maryland you understand your local and state government and how you can impact this process.
Be inspired to act! See more information about Convention of States Maryland here and get involved, now!
