State to such vote, and shall not become a law or take effect
until thirty days after its approval by a majority of the elec-
ors voting thereon at the next ensuing election held through-
out the State for Members of the House of Representatives of
the United States. An emergency law shall remain in force
notwithstanding such petition, but shall stand repealed thirty
days after having been rejected by a majority of the qualified
electors voting thereon; provided, however, that no 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, shall be en-
acted as an emergency law. No law making any appropria-
tion or maintaining the State Government, or for maintain-
ing or aiding any public institution, not exceeding the next
previous appropriation for the same parpose, shall be subject
to rejection or repeal under this section. The increase in any
such appropriation for maintaining or aiding any public in-
stitution shall only take effect as in the case of other laws, and
such increase or any part thereof specified in the petition,
may be referred to a vote of the people upon petition.

SEC. 3. (a) The referendum petition against an Act or
part of an Act passed by the General Assembly, shall be suffi-
cient if signed by ten thousand qualified voters of the State of
Maryland, of whom not more than half shall be residents of
Baltimore city, or of any one county; provided that any Pub-
lic Local Law for any one county or the city of Baltimore
shall be referred by the Secretary of State only to the people
of said county or city of Baltimore, upon a referendum peti-
tion of ten per cent of the qualified voters of said county or
city of Baltimore as the case may be, calculated upon the
whole number of votes cast therein respectively for Governor
at the last preceding Gubernatorial election.

(b) If more than one-half, but less than the full number of
signatures required to complete any referendum petition
against any law passed by the General Assembly, be filed with
Secretary of State before the first day of June, the time for
the law to take effect, and for filing the remainder of signa-
tures to complete the petition shall be extended to the thirtieth
day of the same month, with like effect.

SEC. 4. A petition may consist of several papers, but each
paper shall contain the full text of the Act or part of Act
petitioned upon; and there shall be attached to each such
paper an affidavit of the person procuring the signatures there-
on that of the said person's own personal knowledge every
signature thereon is genuine and bona fide, and that the sign-
ers are registered voters of the State of Maryland, and of the