SEC. 42. ^TO Vacant.

SEC. 43. The property of the wife shall be protected from the
debts of her husband.

SEC. 44. Laws shall be passed by the General Assembly, to
protect from execution a reasonable amount of the property of
the debtor.

SEC. 45. The General Assembly shall provide a simple and
uniform system of charges in the offices of Clerks of Courts and
Registers of Wills, in the Counties of this State and the City of
Baltimore, and for the collection thereof; provided, the amount
of compensation to any of the said officers in the various Coun-
ties and in the City of Baltimore shall be such as may be pre-
scribed by law.

SEC. 46. The General Assembly shall have power to receive
from the United States, any grant, or donation of land, money,
or securities for any purpose designated by the United States,
and shall administer, or distribute the same according to the
conditions of the said grant.

SEC. 47. ⁷³ Vacant.

SEC. 48. Corporations may be formed under general laws,
but shall not be created by Special Act, except for municipal
purposes and except in cases where no general laws exist, pro-
viding for the creation of corporations of the same general char-
acter, as the corporation proposed to be created; and any act of
incorporation passed in violation of this section shall be void.
All charters granted, or adopted in pursuance of this section,
and all charters heretofore granted and created, subject to repeal
or modification, may be altered, from time to time, or be re-
pealed; Provided, nothing herein contained shall be construed to
extend to Banks, or the incorporation thereof. The General As-
sembly shall not alter or amend the charter, of any corporation
existing at the time of the adoption of this Article, or pass any
other general or special law for the benefit of such corporation,
except upon the condition that such corporation shall surrender
all claim to exemption from taxation or from the repeal or modi-
fication of its charter, and that such corporation shall thereafter
hold its charter subject to the provisions of this Constitution;
and any corporation chartered by this State which shall accept,
use, enjoy, or in any wise avail itself of any rights, privileges, or
advantages that may hereafter be granted or conferred by any
general or special Act, shall be conclusively presumed to have
thereby surrendered any exemption from taxation to which it
may be entitled under its charter, and shall be thereafter subject
to taxation as if no such exemption has been granted by its char-
ter.

SEC. 49. The General Assembly shall have power to regulate
by Law, not inconsistent with this Constitution, all matters
which relate to the Judges of election, time, place and manner of
holding elections in this State, and of making returns thereof.

SEC. 50. It shall be the duty of the General Assembly, at its
first session, held after the adoption of this Constitution, to pro-
vide by Law for the punishment, by fine, or imprisonment in the
Penitentiary, or both, in the discretion of the Court, of any per-
son, who shall bribe, or attempt to bribe, any Executive, or Judi-
cial officer of the State of Maryland, or any member, or officer,
of the General Assembly of the State of Maryland, or of any

Municipal corporation in the State of Maryland, or any Execu-
tive officer of such corporation, in order to influence him in the
performance of any of his official duties; and, also, to provide by
Law for the punishment, by fine, or imprisonment in the Peni-
tentiary, or both, in the discretion of the Court, of any of said
officers, or members, who shall demand, or receive any bribe,
fee, reward, or testimonial, for the performance of his official du-
ties, or for neglecting, or failing to perform the same; and, also,
to provide by Law for compelling any person, so bribing, or at-
tempting to bribe, or so demanding, or receiving a bribe, fee, re-
ward, or testimonial, to testify against any person, or persons,
who may have committed any of said offenses; provided, that
any person, so compelled to testify, shall be exempted from trial
and punishment for the offense, of which he may have been
guilty; and any person, convicted of such offence, shall, as part
of the punishment thereof, be forever disfranchised and disquali-
fied from holding any office of trust, or profit, in this State.

SEC. 51. The personal property of residents of this State,
shall be subject to taxation in the County or City where the resi-
dent bona fide resides for the greater part of the year for which
the tax may or shall be levied, and not elsewhere, except goods
and chattels permanently located, which shall be taxed in the
City or County where they are so located, but the General As-
sembly may by law provide for the taxation of mortgages upon
property in this State and the debts secured thereby, in the
County or City where such property is situated.

SEC. 52. (1) The General Assembly shall not appropriate
any money out of the Treasury except in accordance with the
provisions of this section.

(2) Every appropriation bill shall be either a Budget Bill, or a
Supplementary Appropriation Bill, as hereinafter provided.

(3) On the third Wednesday in January in each year, (ex-
cept in the case of a newly elected Governor, and then not later
than ten days after the convening of the General Assembly), un-
less such time shall be extended by the General Assembly, the
Governor shall submit to the General Assembly a Budget for
the next ensuing fiscal year. Each Budget shall contain a com-
plete plan of proposed expenditures and estimated revenues for
said fiscal year and shall show the estimated surplus or deficit of
revenues at the end of the preceding fiscal year. Accompanying
each Budget shall be a statement showing: (a) the revenues and
expenditures for the preceding fiscal year; (b) the current assets,
liabilities, reserves and surplus or deficit of the State; (c) the
debts and funds of the State; (d) an estimate of the State's finan-
cial condition as of the beginning and end of the preceding fiscal
year; (e) any explanation the Governor may desire to make as to
the important features of the Budget and any suggestions as to
methods for reduction or increase of the State's revenue.

78
(4) Each Budget shall embrace an estimate of all appropria-
tions in such form and detail as the Governor shall determine or
as may be prescribed by law, as follows: (a) for the General As-
sembly as certified to the Governor in the manner hereinafter
provided; (b) for the Executive Department; (c) for the Judiciary
Department, as provided by law, certified by the Comptroller;
(d) to pay and discharge the principal and interest of the debt of
the State in conformity with Section 34 of Article 3 of the Con-
stitution, and all laws enacted in pursuance thereof; (e) for the
salaries payable by the State and under the Constitution and
laws of the State; (0 for the establishment and maintenance