THEODORE R. McKELDIN, GOVERNOR                  1007

GANY, GARRETT AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES 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 HAVING 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,
HOWEVER, EXCEPT IN (4) ABOVE NO SUCH PETITION
SHALL BE FILED UNLESS EITHER THE PERSON TO BE
ADOPTED OR THE CUSTODIAN SHALL BE PHYSICALLY
WITHIN THIS STATE AND SUBJECT TO THE JURISDICTION
OF THE COURTS THEREOF.

78. (Federal Reservations.) All persons residing or stationed
for not less than ninety (90) days NEXT PRECEDING THE FIL-
ING OF A PETITION on property lying within the physical
boundaries of any county of this State or within the bound-
aries of the City of Baltimore, but on property over which jurisdic-
tion is exercised by the Government of the United States by virtue
of the 17th Clause, Section 8 of Article I of the Constitution of the
United States, and of Sections 31 and 35 of Article 96 of this Code,
shall be considered as residents of the State of Maryland and of the
county or City of Baltimore, as the case may be, in which the land is
situate, for the purposes of jurisdiction in the courts of equity of this
State in all petitions for adoption.

80A. A petition for adoption, as hereinafter described, may be
preceded by a petition for guardianship with the right to consent to
adoption, and such guardianship decree, which the courts having
jurisdiction of adoption matters may require and shall have power to
grant after such hearing and investigation as the court may deem
appropriate, shall terminate natural parental rights, provided that
due notice of the proceedings shall have been given immediately upon
the filing of the petition by summons, order of publication, or other-
wise, as the Court may order to be given to the natural parent or
parents, as the case may be, and when such notice shall have been
given, the duly appointed guardian's consent to an adoption, for
which the petition may be filed in the same proceeding, shall eliminate
the necessity of further notice to the natural parent or parents. When
a petition for guardianship with the right to consent to adoption pre-
cedes a petition for adoption, the titling of the cause shall be sub-
stantially as follows: "Ex parte in the matter of the petition of

........................................for guardianship with the right to consent to

adoption of a minor." In all respects not mentioned in this section,
adoption proceedings preceded by a guardianship petition, as herein
described, shall conform to the procedure outlined in this sub-title for
adoptions generally. If within a year from the entry of a decree of
guardianship, as aforementioned, a petition praying a decree of adop-
tion has not been filed, the guardian shall file with the Court a report
explaining the delay in filing such a petition and, if he so desire, re-
questing an extension of the guardianship, and the Court may there-
upon in its discretion, either extend, for such time as it may deem
advisable, or terminate the guardianship.