1038 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 507

provide for the regulation and control of rent for housing
accommodations within their respective jurisdictions. As
used in this Article, "housing accommodation" means any
building or structure, permanent or temporary, or any
part thereof, occupied or intended to be occupied by one
or more individuals as a residence, home, sleeping place,
boarding house or lodging house, together with the land
and buildings appurtenant thereto, and all services, priv-
ileges, furnishings, furniture and facilities supplied in con-
nection with the occupation thereof, but does not include a
hospital, hotel, convent, monastery, asylum, public insti-
tution, or college or school dormitory.

(b) The ordinance or resolution passed or adopted by
the Mayor and City Council of any city or by the County
Commissioners of any county, under authority of this
Article, may create a Rent Control Commission to regu-
late and establish rents for housing accommodations or
may designate an existing city or county department, office
or agency to exercise such authority. Such ordinance or
resolution may authorize such Commission, department,
office or agency to make such studies and investigations,
to conduct such hearings, and to obtain such information
as is deemed necessary in prescribing regulations or orders
relative to rents.

(c) For the purposes of this Article, the Mayor and
City Council of every city and the County Commissioners
of every county shall have and may exercise within their
respective jurisdictions all the power commonly known
as the Police Power to the same extent as the State has
or could exercise said power and, in the exercise of said
power, may, by ordinance or resolution, prescribe and
establish the conditions under which evictions from hous-
ing accommodations may be made and the repossession
of same may be accomplished, any other law to the
contrary notwithstanding. Such ordinance or resolution
may confer such power and authority upon a commission,
department, office or agency to the same extent as the
General Assembly of Maryland has the power to confer
upon any commission, department, office or agency of the
State as to the regulation and control of rents of housing
accommodations, including practices relating to changes
in form or quality.

3. In order to make effective the power and authority
conferred by this Article, the Mayor and City Council of
any city and the County Commissioners of any county
which undertake to exercise the power hereby granted,