public:cb_mirror:understanding_a_joint_resolution_in_the_maryland_legislature_txt_blogposts_13966
To view this on the COS website, click here understanding-a-joint-resolution-in-the-maryland-legislature
Understanding a Joint Resolution in the Maryland Legislature
Be inspired to act and get involved in the 2022 Maryland legislative process.
| Maryland's Legislative Session Each year the Maryland Legislature meets in a regular session for 90 days beginning 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. Petitioning Your Government COS petitions that are 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 the legislators that the people of Maryland mean business–Convention of States business in fact. Strength in numbers of 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. Because 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 that 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 is described in detail here. What’s important to recognize is the COS resolution, in order to pass, 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 the 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 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 government overreach, lack of fiscal responsibility, and believe in term limits, it is crucially important that you, as a citizen of Maryland, 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!  |
| Page Metadata | |
| Login Required to view? | No |
| Created: | 2021-12-08 02:09 GMT |
| Updated: | 2023-01-20 18:25 GMT |
| Published: | 2021-12-07 05:00 GMT |
| Converted: | 2025-11-11 11:58 GMT |
| Change Author: | Gayle McCowin |
| Credit Author: | |
public/cb_mirror/understanding_a_joint_resolution_in_the_maryland_legislature_txt_blogposts_13966.txt · Last modified: 2025/11/11 11:58 by 127.0.0.1