326                               LAWS OF MARYLAND                        [CH. 232

ment), title "Merit System", providing that no forfeiture of
automatic increases in compensation paid to State employees shall
occur without the approval of the State Commissioner of Personnel.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Section 27 of Article 64A of the Annotated Code of Maryland
(1954 Supplement), title "Merit System", be and it is hereby repealed
and re-enacted, with amendments, to read as follows:

27. (a) The State Employees' Standard Salary Board shall
formulate rules and regulations for the administration of Sections
24-27, which shall include provisions for automatic increases, from
minimum to maximum, of the rates established by the schedule,
except that said Board shall have the power to establish flat or fixed
salaries and wage rates for special classifications or cases, (for a
period not to exceed two years) where, upon the recommendation of
the State [Employment] Commissioner of Personnel and in the dis-
cretion of said Board, provision for automatic increases are deemed
inadvisable; and such rules shall, after approval by the Governor,
have the force of law in the same manner as other conditions herein
prescribed. Said Board shall have the power and authority at any
time to increase or decrease any rates of pay for all employees in the
Classified and in the Unclassified Service, and said increased or de-
creased rates of pay shall, after approval by the Governor, apply to
all employees in the classification or classifications so affected, includ-
ing incumbent employees and new employees.

(b)   Subject to the approval of the State Commissioner of Person-
nel, and not otherwise, [T] the automatic increases in salary rates
provided for hereinabove in this section shall not apply in the
instances specified in this sub-section, and no such increase or in-
creases over an existing salary shall be paid to any person if:

(1)   The probation period for such person shall have been extended
for a longer period than six months, pursuant to the provisions of
Section 29 of this Article, during the period of the extended proba-
tion; or

(2)    The person has been suspended for disciplinary purposes,
pursuant to the provisions of Section 31 of this Article, during the
period of one year from the time of suspension; or

(3)   The appointing authority for the position involved has recom-
mended [, and the Commissioner has approved,] that the person not
receive the automatic increase in any year because of his unusual or
excessive rate of absenteeism, inefficiency, or other substantial rea-
son affecting adversely his value as an employee. An appointing
authority who exercises the power conferred by this paragraph for
a second time as to the same person shall immediately thereafter file
charges for his permanent removal from the classified service, acting
generally pursuant to the provisions of Section 29 of this Article,
with further proceedings to be had thereunder.

(c)   Any person who is denied an increase in salary under the
provisions of paragraph (2) of sub-section (b) hereinabove shall
have a right of appeal to the Commissioner, who shall have the power
to determine whether the suspension and resulting denial of an
increase were justified and the further power to change or modify