58 THIRTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT

Office," to provide that upon the abolition of the office of Com-
missioner of the Land Office, the words "Commissioner of the Land
Office" in said Code shall mean the Archivist of the Hall of Records
Commission, transferring certain employees of the Land Office to
the said Records Commission at said time, and providing that this
Act shall be ineffective upon the rejection of the constitutional amend-
ment proposed by this General Assembly for the abolition of the
office of Land Commissioner.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Section 1 of Article 54 of the Annotated Code of Maryland
(1957 Edition), title "Land Office," be and it is hereby repealed and
re-enacted, with amendments, to read as follows:

1.

(a) Definition of "Commissioner of the Land Office." Upon the
abolition of the office of the Commissioner of the Land Office as pro-
vided in the Act of 1966 amending Section 4 of Article VII of the Con-
stitution, the words "Commissioner of the Land Office'' or "Land Com-
missioner" as used in this Code shall mean the Archivist appointed by
the Hall of Records Commission.

(b) The Commissioner of the Land Office is a court of record with
the same power to preserve order, punish contempts and enforce
obedience to his orders and adjudications as is possessed by any other
court of record.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That all persons employed by
the Commissioner of the Land Office pursuant to Section 2 of Article
54 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition) and so employed
on the date mentioned in Section 1 of this Act shall be transferred to the
Hall of Records Commission and shall thereafter be employees of such
Commission as fully as if initially appointed pursuant to Section 172
of Article 41 of said Code.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
June 1, 1966, provided, however, that if the qualified voters of this
State reject the amendment to the Constitution abolishing the office
of Commissioner of the Land Office at the general election designated
in the Act of 1966 for such purpose, this Act, and each section hereof,
shall be null, void and of no further effect from and after the date of
such rejection without the necessity of further action or formal repeal.

Approved April 29, 1966.