344                              Laws of Maryland                        [Ch. 94

missioner shall receive a salary as provided in the budget. The said
Commissioner shall be allowed actual and necessary expenses in-
curred in the discharge of his duties.

The Division shall have a deputy commissioner, who shall receive
such salary as may be set by the Standard Salary Board, or its
successor, and who shall have all rights and privileges under the
State Merit System Law and the State Employees' Retirement Sys-
tem. The deputy commissioner holding office on July 1, 1970, shall
continue to hold office subject to the provisions of Article 64A of
this Code.

At any time hereafter the office of deputy commissioner shall
become vacant the State Commissioner of Personnel or his successor
shall, as soon as practical, conduct a competitive examination in
accordance with the State Merit System Law. The deputy commis-
sioner, in the event of the absence, death, resignation, disability, or
disqualification of the Commissioner, or in case [of] the office of
the Commissioner shall for any cause become vacant, shall have and
exercise all the powers and duties vested by law in the Commissioner.

The Commissioner is authorized and empowered to appoint or
employ such deputies, inspectors, assistants and employees of every
kind as may be necessary for the performance of the duties now
or hereafter imposed upon him by this or any other law; provided,
however, that such appointments and employments shall in each and
every case be subject to the approval of the Governor and the Sec-
retary of Licensing and Regulation and the compensation to be
tallowed therefor, be subject to the approval of the Standard Salary
Board or its successor.

12.

An employer and any individuals or labor organizations repre-
senting a substantial number of employees involved may petition the
Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Industry, in such
form as prescribed by the Commissioner, for permission to enter
into a consent election agreement leading to a determination by the
Commissioner or his duly authorized representative of the facts
ascertained after such consent election. Where a petition has been
duly filed, the [Commission] Commissioner shall cause notice of
such petition to be posted at the place of employment for a period
of time sufficient for all interested parties to be made aware of the
nature and purpose of the petition. The notice of each such petition
caused to be posted by the Commissioner shall state that any organi-
zation may file an objection or exception to the petition with the
Commissioner within a time period prescribed by the Commissioner,
such time period to be not less than one week from the date of the
posting of such notice. If no objections or exceptions to the petition
are received by the Commissioner within the time period prescribed
by the Commissioner, he shall grant approval to the petitioner to
enter into a consent election agreement. Such agreement shall include
a description of the appropriate unit, the time and place of holding
the election, and the payroll to be used in determining such em-
ployees within the appropriate unit shall be eligible to vote. Such
consent election shall be conducted under the direction and super-
vision of the Commissioner or his duly authorized representatives,
and the rulings and determinations by the Commissioner or his duly