1250                               Laws of Maryland                         Ch. 527

and if said employees are members of the merit system, they shall
retain their merit system status. All books, papers, files, records,
furniture, fixtures, and all other personal property owned by or in
the custody, as of August 31, 1970, of the Seafood Marketing Au-
thority and/or the Division of Market Development of the Depart-
ment of Chesapeake Bay Affairs shall be transferred to and be in
the ownership or custody of the Seafood Marketing Authority and
Division of Market Development of the Department of Economic
and Community Development. All appropriations and credits on
the books, papers, and accounts of the Seafood Marketing Authority
and/or the Division of Market Development of the Department of
Chesapeake Bay Affairs, as of August 31,1970, for and to the credit
of said Authority and/or Division, and all liabilities and obligations
as of August 81, 1970, of said Authority and/or Division, shall
be transferred to and become the appropriations, credits, liabilities,
and obligations of the Seafood Marketing Authority and Division
of Market Development of the Department of Economic and Com-
munity Development. All forms of the Seafood Marketing Authority
and/or the Division of Market Development of the Department of
Chesapeake Bay Affairs existing on August 81, 1970, together with
all rules, regulations, orders and other directives relating thereto,
or promulgated thereby, and then in effect, shall continue in force
pending exercise by the Seafood Marketing Authority and Division
of Market Development of the Department of Economic and Com-
munity Development. All rules, regulations, forms, orders and di-
rectives promulgated by or in effect for the Seafood Marketing Au-
thority and/or the Division of Market Development of the Depart-
ment of Chesapeake Bay Affairs shall continue in force unless and
until changed by the Seafood Marketing Authority and Division of
Marketing Development of the Department of Economic and Com-
munity Development.

SEC. 18A15. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED BY THE GEN-
ERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, THAT SECTIONS 1 AND 2
AND 8 OF THE LAWS OF MARYLAND OF 1968, RELATING TO
THE MARYLAND BICENTENNIAL COMMISSION BE AND
THEY ARE HEREBY REPEALED AND RE-ENACTED, WITH
AMENDMENTS, TO READ AS FOLLOWS:

1.

THERE IS HEREBY CREATED AS A PART OF THE DE-
PARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOP-
MENT THE MARYLAND BICENTENNIAL COMMISSION FOR
THE COMMEMORATION OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION,
HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AS THE "COMMISSION."
THE COMMISSION SHALL BE COMPOSED OF FIFTEEN MEM-
BERS WHO SHALL BE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR
UPON THE ADVICE OF THE SECRETARY OF ECONOMIC
AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND SERVE AT [HIS]
THE GOVERNOR'S PLEASURE. VACANCIES SHALL BE
FILLED IN THE SAME MANNER AS THE ORIGINAL AP-
POINTMENTS. OF THE INITIAL APPOINTMENT OF THE
FIFTEEN MEMBERS, THREE SHALL BE APPOINTED FOR A
TERM OF ONE YEAR, THREE SHALL BE APPOINTED FOR A
TERM OF TWO YEARS, THREE SHALL BE APPOINTED FOR A
TERM OF THREE YEARS, THREE SHALL BE APPOINTED
FOR A TERM OF FOUR YEARS, AND THREE SHALL BE AP-