When the General Assembly is not in session, any decision that relates to or affects a member of a committee of the General Assembly shall be made: as to a Senate member, by the President; and as to a House member, by the Speaker. The responsibilities of the President and the Speaker under this section include: appointing members of committees; appointing officers of committees; and setting the dates, times, and places for committee meetings.

Each standing committee continues when the General Assembly is not in session.

While the General Assembly is not in session, each standing committee may: study and prepare recommendations and reports on any matter that is within the usual and customary jurisdiction of the standing committee; and otherwise exercise the usual and customary powers that the standing committee has when the General Assembly is in session. If time permits, each standing committee shall send to the Legislative Policy Committee a copy of each proposed bill and joint resolution that the standing committee intends to introduce in the General Assembly.

With the prior approval of the Legislative Policy Committee, a standing committee, in carrying out any of its functions or powers, may: issue subpoenas; compel the attendance of witnesses; compel the production of any papers, books, accounts, documents, and testimony; administer oaths; and cause the depositions of witnesses, who reside in or outside of the State, to be taken in the manner provided by law for taking depositions in a civil case. If a person fails to comply with a subpoena issued under this section or fails to testify on any matter on which the person lawfully may be interrogated, on petition of a member of the standing committee, a circuit court may pass an order directing compliance with the subpoena or compelling testimony and may enforce the order by proceedings for contempt. Venue and procedures for a proceeding under paragraph (1) of this subsection to direct compliance with a subpoena or compel testimony are as provided in § 2–1803 of this title. False swearing by a witness before a standing committee is perjury.

Within the amounts made available by appropriation, each officer and unit of the State government shall conduct any study that a standing committee requests.