§ 308. Legislative procedure.

(a)

Public meetings. All meetings of the county council or any committee thereof shall be open to the public. Except for emergency sessions called pursuant to Section 208(e), at least five calendar days prior to any meeting, a notice of the meeting shall be submitted to a newspaper of general circulation in the county, and copies of the agenda for the meeting shall be made available for inspection in the office of the county council. The notice shall state when and where the meeting is to be held, and shall indicate that copies of the agenda may be inspected at the office of the county council. If an item on the agenda is carried forward to a subsequent meeting to be held within five calendar days, additional notice of agenda shall not be required. (Bill No. 79, 1978, § 1) (Approved by voters Nov. 7, 1978; effective Dec. 8, 1978)

(b)

Enacting clause. The style of the enacting clause for all laws of the county council shall be: "Be it enacted by the County Council of Baltimore County, Maryland," and all laws shall be passed by original bill.

(c)

Titles. Every copy of each bill shall bear the name of the county council member(s) introducing it and the date of introduction to the council. Each law enacted by the county council shall embrace but one subject, which shall be described in its title; and no law, or section of law, shall be revived or amended by reference to its title or section only. (Bill No. 79, 1978, § 1) (Approved by voters Nov. 7, 1978; effective Dec. 8, 1978)

(d)

Votes required. No bill shall become law nor any action requiring approval of the county council become effective unless it is passed or approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the total number of county council members established by this Charter, or such greater number as may elsewhere be required in this Charter, and on final passage of a bill the vote of each member of the county council shall be recorded in the journal, a permanent record, which shall be available for inspection by the public. (Bill No. 79, 1978, § 1) (Approved by voters Nov. 7, 1978; effective Dec. 8, 1978)

(e)

Publication of county laws. After the introduction of any bill, a notice shall be published at least once on each of two successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, and copies of the bill shall be made available for inspection in the office of the county council and at each branch of the Baltimore County Public Library. One such notice shall also be published within one week after the bill is enacted, and, as soon as practicable, copies of the act shall be made available for inspection in the office of the county council and each branch of the Baltimore County Public Library. (Bill No. 79, 1978, § 1) (Approved by voters Nov. 7, 1978; effective Dec. 8, 1978)

(f)

Effective date of laws; emergency measures. All public local laws and ordinances enacted by the county council shall take effect forty-five days after enactment, unless by the affirmative vote of a majority plus one of the total number of county council members established by this Charter any such law or ordinance shall be declared to be effective on an earlier or later date, or declared an emergency measure affecting the public health, safety or welfare, in which latter event the same shall take effect from the date of enactment. The term "emergency measure" shall not include any measure creating or abolishing any office or changing the salary, term or duty of any officer, or granting any franchise or special privilege, or creating any vested right or interest. (Bill No. 79, 1978, § 1; approved by voters Nov. 7, 1988; effective Dec. 8, 1978; Bill No. 101, 1988, § 1; approved by voters Nov. 8, 1988; effective Dec. 9, 1988; Bill No. 15-18 , § 1; approved by the voters Nov. 6, 2018; effective Dec. 6, 2018)

(g)

Executive veto. Upon the passage of any legislation by the county council, including any public local law, ordinance or other act having the force of law, with the exception only of such measures as may in this Charter be made expressly exempt from the executive veto, the same shall be presented within two calendar days to the county executive for his approval or disapproval, and within ten days after such presentation he shall return any such legislation to the county council with his approval endorsed thereon or with a statement in writing of his reasons for not approving the same. Upon approval by the county executive any such legislation shall stand enacted. Any such legislation presented to the county executive and returned with his veto may be reconsidered by the county council. His objections shall be entered upon the journal of the council, and, not later than at its next regular session, the county council may consider the enactment thereof notwithstanding the executive veto. The vote of each member of the county council thereon shall be recorded in the journal, and if a majority plus one of the total number of the county council members established by this Charter vote in the affirmative, the legislation shall stand enacted. Whenever the county executive shall fail to return any such legislation within ten days after the date of its presentation to him, the secretary of the county council shall forthwith record the fact of such failure in the journal, and such legislation shall thereupon stand enacted. (Bill No. 101, 1988, § 1) (Approved by voters Nov. 8, 1988; effective Dec. 9, 1988)

(h)

Failure of bills. Any bill not passed within sixty-five days after its introduction shall fail. ( Bill No. 15-18 , § 1, approved by the voters Nov. 6, 2018; effective Dec. 6, 2018)