In this subtitle, “Committee” means the Legislative Policy Committee.

There is a Legislative Policy Committee.

The Legislative Policy Committee consists of the following 28 members: from the Senate: the President; the President Pro Tem; the Majority Leader; the Chair of the Budget and Taxation Committee; the Chair of the Committee on Education, Energy, and the Environment; the Chair of the Finance Committee; the Chair of the Judicial Proceedings Committee; the Minority Leader; and 6 other Senators, appointed by the President and approved by majority vote of the Senate; or if a Senator simultaneously serves in 2 of the positions set forth in items (ii) through (vii), inclusive, of this item, 7 other Senators, appointed by the President and approved by majority vote of the Senate; and from the House: the Speaker; the Speaker Pro Tem; the Majority Leader; the Chair of the Appropriations Committee; the Chair of the Health Committee; the Chair of the Economic Matters Committee; the Chair of the Environment and Transportation Committee; the Chair of the Government, Labor, and Elections Committee; the Chair of the Judiciary Committee; the Chair of the Ways and Means Committee; the Minority Leader; and 3 other Delegates, appointed by the Speaker and approved by majority vote of the House; or if a Delegate simultaneously serves in 2 of the positions set forth in items (ii) through (x), inclusive, of this item, 4 other Delegates, appointed by the Speaker and approved by majority vote of the House. As far as possible, the Senators appointed by the President, under subsection (a)(1)(ix) of this section, shall be representative of the various sections and interests of the State. As far as possible, the Delegates appointed by the Speaker, under subsection (a)(2)(xii) of this section, shall be representative of the various sections and interests of the State.

The President and the Speaker are cochairs of the Committee.

This section applies only to a vacancy on the Committee that occurs while the General Assembly is not in session. If a vacancy occurs in one of the offices of cochairs of the Committee, a successor shall be elected: for the Senate cochair, by the Senators on the Committee; and for the House cochair, by the Delegates on the Committee. If vacancies occur in both offices of the cochairs of the Committee, the successors shall be elected from among the remaining members of the Committee by those members. One of the cochairs shall be a Senator, and one shall be a Delegate. If a vacancy occurs among the Senators on the Committee, a successor shall be appointed by the President. If a vacancy occurs among the Delegates on the Committee, a successor shall be appointed by the Speaker.

A majority of the full authorized membership of the Committee is a quorum. The Committee may not act unless at least 8 members concur. The Committee shall meet as often as necessary, at the times and places that its cochairs determine. Any member of the General Assembly may attend a meeting of the Committee and present views on any matter that the Committee is considering. However, only a member of the Committee may vote in any decision of the Committee. The Committee shall keep minutes of its meetings. The Department of Legislative Services shall provide staff assistance to the Committee.

The Committee has the following functions: to review the work of the standing committees; to collect information about the government and general welfare of the State; to study the operation of and recommend changes in the Constitution, statutes, and common law of the State; to study the rules and procedures of the Senate and the House and recommend changes that would improve and expedite the consideration of legislation by the General Assembly; to coordinate and supervise generally the work of the General Assembly when it is not in session; to prepare or endorse a legislative program that includes the bills, resolutions, or other recommendations of the Committee that are to be presented to the General Assembly at its next session; to carry out its powers and duties under the Maryland Program Evaluation Act; and at least every 2 years, to review and update as necessary the antiharassment policy and procedures of the General Assembly to create and maintain an environment in which all members and employees are treated with respect and are free from unlawful discrimination and harassment. To carry out its functions, the Committee: shall receive, from any source, suggestions for legislation or investigation; may hold a hearing on any matter; may appoint a special committee and delegate to that committee the authority specified in § 2–408 of this subtitle; may refer a matter for study and report to any of its special committees or any committee of the General Assembly; shall consider the reports of standing, statutory, and special committees; may have any bill or resolution prepared to carry out its recommendations; and when the General Assembly is not in session: may accept a gift or grant of money from a person or public agency for any purpose that relates to the activities of the Legislative Policy Committee or of any other standing, statutory, or special committee; and may spend the money for that purpose, in accordance with the State budget.

In carrying out any of its functions or powers, the Committee 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 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 the Committee is perjury.

Subject to § 2–1257 of this title, the Committee shall submit to the General Assembly periodic reports to keep the members of the General Assembly fully informed about matters that come before the Committee. The Committee shall compile the bills, joint resolutions, and other recommendations that are submitted to it by its special committees and by the committees of the General Assembly and are intended for submission to the General Assembly at its next session. Before that session of the General Assembly, the Committee shall prepare a report that includes those bills, resolutions, and recommendations and the reports that relate to them. The Committee shall: subject to § 2–1257 of this title, submit this report to the General Assembly; and send this report to each other elected State officer and to the Thurgood Marshall State Law Library.

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

In this section, “Board” means the Information Technology Advisory Board. There is an Information Technology Advisory Board to advise the Legislative Policy Committee. The Board consists of eight members of the public with expertise in: enterprise information technology management experience; and specific technology experience, including experience with artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. The President of the Senate shall appoint four of the Board members. The Speaker of the House shall appoint four of the Board members. The President and the Speaker shall jointly designate a member to serve as chair of the Board. A member of the Board: may not receive compensation as a member of the Board; but is entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard State Travel Regulations, as provided in the State budget; is subject to the Public Ethics Law; and shall disclose to the State Ethics Commission if the member: is employed by an entity that currently does business with the State that is related to the matters before the Board; or has a financial interest in an entity that currently does business with the State that is related to the matters before the Board. The Board shall be staffed by the Department of Legislative Services. The Board shall: serve as an expert advisory entity to the General Assembly; and review any State reports or other available information regarding existing major information technology development projects, including: project management and oversight reports provided confidentially to the Department of Legislative Services; any confidential information regarding project risks submitted to the Legislative Policy Committee; the State modernization plan; legacy system standards, inventory, and funding projections; State use of the information technology investment maturity model; the State centralization strategies for: information technology management; and cybersecurity; and the State artificial intelligence roadmap developed by the Governor’s artificial intelligence subcabinet. On or before December 15 each year, the Board shall submit to the Legislative Policy Committee and the Joint Committee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Biotechnology, in accordance with § 2–1257 of this title, a report that: interprets and summarizes the reports and other information reviewed under subsection (f)(2) of this section; provides advice to the State based on the reports and other information reviewed; and communicates the requisite information in a clear and concise manner that, to the greatest extent possible, avoids the use of technical language or reliance on existing industry knowledge.