HERBERT R. O'CONOR, GOVERNOR. 215

SECTION 1. Be it enacted 'by the General Assembly of Mary-
land, That Section 477 of Article 17 of the Code of Public Local
Laws of Maryland (1930 Edition), title "Prince George's
County",, sub-title "Hyattsville"., be, and the same is hereby
repealed and re-enacted, with amendments, to read as follows:

477. The Mayor shall be elected from the town at large and
shall be elected for a term of four years. Two of said Council-
men shall be elected from each of the wards of which the town
is composed and each Councilman shall be elected for a term of
four years, except in case of an election to fill a vacancy in that
office in which case the election shall be for the unexpired term.
The Mayor and Councilmen shall hold their respective offices
for the several terms aforesaid and until their successors shall
have been duly elected and qualified, unless otherwise termi-
nated by operation of law. The Mayor and all Councilmen shall
retain throughout their respective terms of office, all the qualifi-
cations necessary for their election, and their failure to retain
all such qualifications shall ipso facto cause a forfeiture of
their respective offices.

No persons shall be eligible as Mayor or Councilmen except
those who, upon the day of election, shall be citizens of the
United States, and of the State of Maryland, registered voters
of said State and of the town of Hyattsville, actual bona fide
residents of the town of Hyattsville, in the sense that they
have had no home elsewhere for a period of two years imme-
diately next preceding the day of election, and in the case of
Councilmen, residents of the ward from which they shall be
elected, and shall be assessed upon the assessment books of
said town for improved real estate located in said town, used
for business or residential purposes, of the total value for
both land and improvements of at least one thousand dollars.

Neither the Mayor nor any of the Councilmen shall hold
any other office under the corporation during their respective
terms of office, neither shall they nor any other officer of the
corporation, either directly or indirectly through the medium
or agency of other persons, enter into any contract or contracts
with the corporation.

SEC. 2. And be it -further enacted, That this Act is hereby
declared to be an emergency law and necessary for the imme-
diate preservation of the public health and safety, and having
been passed upon a yea and nay vote, supported by three-fifths
of all of the members elected to each of the two Houses of the
General Assembly of Maryland, the same shall take effect on
the date of its passage.

Approved March 23, 1943.