1686 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 976

mediate preservation of the public health and safety, and
having been passed by a yea and nay vote, supported by three-
fifths of all the 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 7, 1943.

CHAPTER 976.
(House Bill 452)

AN ACT to add a new section to Article 62 of the Annotated
Code of Maryland (1939 Edition), title "Marriages", said
new section to be known as Section 5A and to follow imme-
diately after Section 5 of said Article providing certain re-
quirements as to applications for licenses to marry and the
issuance of such licenses and providing penalties for the
violation thereof.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Mary-
land, That a new section be and it is hereby added to Article
62 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1939 Edition), title
"Marriages", said new section to be known as Section 5A, to
follow immediately after Section 5 of said Article and to read
as follows:

5A. Applications for license to marry may only be made,
accepted or received at the offices of Clerks of the Courts afore-
said and only during regular office hours. Licenses to marry
may only be issued at said offices and only during said hours
and may be delivered to either of the contracting parties to
the marriage and to no other person. It shall be unlawful
for the Clerks of any of the Courts aforesaid to pre-date any
application for license to marry and in case application has
been made for a waiver of the forty-eight (48) hour require-
ment in the manner provided in Section 5, it shall be unlawful
for any of the Clerks aforesaid to issue or deliver any license
to marry until the order authorizing the Clerk to deliver such
license has. been signed by the judge. Any of the foregoing
provisions of this section may be waived by the Clerks of the
Courts aforesaid wherever one of the contracting parties for
whom a marriage license is sought is on active duty as a mem-
ber of the armed forces of the United States and requests such
waiver. No such waiver shall be granted, however, until the
'Clerks of the Courts aforesaid have required the party apply-
ing for such waiver, to exhibit his or her credentials and