114 LAWS OF MARYLAND [CH. 58

77 in lieu thereof, said new section to stand in the place
and stead of the section so repealed, correcting an error
in said section in order to make it conform to its pro-
visions as last amended by Chapter 446 of the Acts of
1949 and further providing that Sections 76 to 94, in-
clusive, of said Article 16 shall be under the sub-title
"Adoption. "

WHEREAS, in the codification of the 1951 Edition of the
Annotated Code of Maryland an amendment to Section 77
of Article 16 was inadvertently omitted; and

WHEREAS, this section was amended by Chapter 446 of
the Acts of 1949; and

WHEREAS, Although there is no doubt as to the effective-
ness of Chapter 446 of 1949, it would save confusion to
amend this section of the Code in order to codify the pro-
visions of the Act of 1949; and

WHEREAS, the caption "Adoption" was omitted from
Sections 76 to 94, inclusive, of said Article 16 which
omission also should be corrected for purposes of clarifica-
tion; now therefore

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of
Maryland, That Section 77 of Article 16 of the Annotated
Code of Maryland (1951 Edition), title "Chancery", sub-
title "Adoption", be and it is hereby repealed and that a
new Section 77 be and it is hereby enacted in lieu thereof,
said new section to stand in the place and stead of the sec-
tion so repealed, and to read as follows:

ADOPTION

77. (Jurisdiction and Venue. ) The Circuit Courts of the
several counties of this State, sitting in equity, and any
court of Baltimore City having equity jurisdiction, shall
have jurisdiction of all petitions for adoption under this
sub-title. Any such petition may be filed in the county, or
in Baltimore City, as the case may be, in which (1) the
petitioner or petitioners have their domicile; or (2) the
person to be adopted is domiciled; or (3) any lawfully
licensed child placement agency, having legal or physical
care, custody or control of the person to be adopted is
located; or (4) such petition may be filed in any court hav-
ing equity jurisdiction which had prior to the filing of the
petition for adoption assumed a continuing jurisdiction
over the custody of the person to be adopted. Provided,