1216                               Laws of Maryland                         [Ch. 780

rection of, or in cooperation with, Federal, State, or county agencies
having charge of such defense activities.

16.    Budgetary Procedures.

None of the provisions of any public general law governing the
preparation and filing of budgets by agencies of the State of Mary-
land shall be applicable to the budgetary procedure of the Commis-
sion. The budget programs and procedures heretofore followed by
the Commission are ratified and confirmed and approved for use by
the Commission hereafter, together with such improvements therein
as in the discretion of the Commission shall be deemed necessary or
appropriate in the public interest. The Commission is expressly
directed to hold two public hearings on the budget proposed to be
adopted by it for its fiscal year beginning May 1 of each year. The
hearings shall be held in the months of March or April, one to be in
Prince George's County and one to be in Montgomery County. At
least ten (10) days' notice of each such respective hearing shall be
given by publication in a newspaper or newspapers having a general
circulation in the county where the hearing is to be held.

17.    Commission and Metropolitan District not Municipal Corpora-
tions.

The term "municipal corporation" in Article 11E of the Constitu-
tion of Maryland does not embrace or include the Commission or the
Maryland-Washington Metropolitan District or the Maryland-Wash-
ington Regional District. The Commission and the Metropolitan Dis-
trict and the Regional District cannot be classified in any group of
municipal corporations as required by Article HE, and Article HE
no application to the Commission or to the Metropolitan District
or to the Regional District.

18.    Penalty Provisions.

Every act or omission designated as a misdemeanor in this Article,
unless otherwise provided, shall be punishable before any Trial
Magistrate or the Circuit Court of the county in which the offense
is committed. It shall be brought by warrant or indictment upon
the oath or information of any member of the Commission or of any
employee thereof. Upon conviction thereof the offender shall be
subject to a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100) or to
thirty (30) days' imprisonment in the county jail, or both, in the
discretion of the court. If such an act or omission is of a continuing
nature, or is persisted in, in violation of the provisions of this Arti-
cle, or of any regulation enacted or decision made under the powers
granted in this Article, each and every day during which such act
or omission continues or is persisted in shall be deemed a separate
misdemeanor.

19.    Repeal of Inconsistent Laws.

All laws or parts of laws inconsistent with or contrary to the pro-
visions in this Article are repealed to the extent of such incon-
sistency.

20.    Severability.

If any word, phrase, clause, sentence, part or parts, or sections
of this Article shall be held unconstitutional, such unconstitutionality