HARRY W. NICE, GOVERNOR. 449

indirectly interested, for profit, in any contract or purchase
involving the expenditure of public funds to which the
Board of County Commissioners of said county or any
member thereof is a party, and any member of such Board
or any other public official or employee of said county so
interested, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and,
upon indictment and conviction therefor, shall forfeit his
or her office or position and be subject to a fine not to ex-
ceed one thousand ($1, 000. 00) dollars or imprisonment in
the Maryland House of Correction for a term not to exceed
one year. Provided, however, that the provisions of this
paragraph shall not apply to any contract or other transac-
tion involving the purchase of land or the deposit of county
funds in any authorized State or Federal banking institu-
tion.

Where the amount involved in any contract for work to
be done or purchase of supplies to which the Board of
. County Commissioners or the County Board of Education
of said county is a party exceeds the sum of five hundred
($500. 00) dollars, the said Board, as the case may be,
shall advertise for bids in one or more newspapers pub-
lished in said county, the publication thereof to appear at
least one week prior to the date on which bids are to be
opened, and the contract or purchase shall be awarded to
the lowest responsible bidder, but the said Board, as the
case may be, shall have the right to reject any and all bids.

In every case where the said County Commissioners or
the County Board of Education desire to purchase land, said
Board, as the case may be, shall advertise once a week for
two weeks in one or more newspapers published in said
county a statement setting forth the option and price of
any land proposed to be purchased by said Board, the loca-
tion, purpose, and owner.

Any contract entered into or purchase made in violation
of the provisions of this section shall be null and void; pro-
vided, however, that nothing in this section shall apply in
the case of an emergency if the voucher therefor at time
of payment has attached thereto a certificate of the board,
commission, official or employee stating that the emergency
exists and describing the nature of the emergency.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall
take effect June 1, 1935.

Approved May 17, 1935.