HERBERT R. O'CONOR, GOVERNOR. 93

CHAPTER 118.
(Senate Bill 222)

AN ACT to add 3 new Sections to Article 96 1/2 of the Anno-
tated Code of Maryland, title "Veterans, " (said Article
having been added by the General Assembly of Maryland
of 1945), said new Sections to follow immediately after
Section 42 of said Article, and to be known as Sections
43, 44, and 45, and to provide that official findings, rec-
ords, reports or certified copies thereof of death, pre-
sumed death, missing or other status issued by author-
ized officials or agencies of the United States shall be
received and shall be evidence in any courts, offices and
other place in this State.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That 3 new Sections be added to Article 96 1/2 of the Anno-
tated Code of Maryland, title "Veterans, " to follow imme-
diately after Section 42 of said Article, and to be known,
as Sections 43, 44 and 45, said new Sections to read as
follows:

43. A written finding of presumed death made by the
Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Navy or other
officer or employee of the United States authorized by the
Federal law to make such finding or a duly certified copy
of such finding shall be received in any court, office or other
place in this State as evidence of the death of the person
therein disclosed to be, dead and of the date, circumstances
and place of his death or disappearance.

44. An official written report or record or duly certified
copy thereof that a person is missing, missing in action,
interned in a neutral country or is beleaguered, besieged or
captured by an enemy or is dead or is alive, made by any
of the persons referred to in Section 43 of this Act shall
be received in any court, office or other place in this State
as evidence that such person is missing, missing in action,
interned in a neutral country or beleaguered, besieged,
captured by an enemy or is dead or is alive as the case
may be.

45. For the purpose of Section 43 and Section 44 of
this Act any finding, report or record, or duly certified copy
thereof, purporting to have been signed by such an officer
or employee of the United States as is described in said
sections, shall prima facie be deemed to have been signed
and issued by such an officer or employee pursuant to law,
and the person signing same shall prima facie be deemed