1116 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 648

Chief of Engineers and Secretary of War of the United States
of America to the extent that such approval is required by
any laws of the United States of America.

SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall be
declared to be an emergency Act and necessary for the imme-
diate preservation of the public health and safety, and being
passed by a yea and nay vote, supported by three-fifths of all
members elected to each of the two Houses of the General
Assembly, the same shall take effect from the date of its
passage.

Approved May 2, 1941.

CHAPTER 648.
(House Bill 442)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 65
of Article 101 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1939
Edition), title "Workmen's Compensation", sub-title "Claims
and Compensation; Benefits", relating to certain employees
who may waive the benefit of this Article.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Mary-
land, That Section 65 of Article 101 of the Annotated Code
of Maryland (1939 Edition), title "Workmen's Compensa-
tion", sub-title "Claims and Compensation; Benefits", be and
it is hereby repealed and re-enacted, with amendments, to read
as follows:

65. No employer or employee who is subject to the
provisions of this Article shall exempt himself from the burden
or waive the benefit of this Article by any contract, agreement,
rule or regulation, and any such contract, agreement, rule or
regulation shall be pro tanto void; except that an employee
who has previously sustained any injury or a partial disability
may, by a written contract freely and voluntarily entered into
by him and executed in the presence of two subscribing wit-
nesses, waive the benefit of this Article as to any subsequent
injury naturally and proximately caused by such previous in-
jury or disability. No agreement by such employee to pay any
portion of the premium paid by such employer shall be valid,
and any employer who deducts any portion of such premium
from the wages or salary of any employee entitled to the
benefits of this Article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and
upon conviction thereof shall be fined not more than two hun-
dred dollars for each offense.