984                              Laws of Maryland                       [Ch. 654

Chairman, the Commission shall elect a new Chairman or Vice-Chair-
man, as the occasion requires after the Commission vacancy has been
filled. The Commission shall appoint, discharge and fix the compen-
sation of a Secretary and a Treasurer, who shall not be the same
person, a Chief Engineer, Deputy Chief Engineer, Assistant Chief
Engineers and Division Engineers, and such engineering, legal, cleri-
cal and other force and help as, from time to time, in its judgment
may be deemed necessary to carry out the provisions of this sub-
title. The duties of the Secretary shall be prescribed by the Com-
mission and shall include the supervision of all the administrative
activities of the Commission except those relating to engineering and
financial matters, acting as liaison between the Commission and the
public, and in general to promote public relations for the Commission;
the duties of the Treasurer, in accordance with directions of the Com-
mission, shall include, but not be limited to, administrative perform-
ance and authority to maintain a proper and effective utilities ac-
counting system for all financial transactions of the Commission, and
to perform such other duties respecting the financial affairs of the
Commission as may be required by law or by directive of the Com-
mission. All acts, orders and regulations heretofore passed by said
Commission while sitting in the District of Columbia are hereby rati-
fied and confirmed and are to be given the same force and effect as
if passed in the State of Maryland. Said Commission shall annually
publish in at least one newspaper in Montgomery County, and one in
Prince George's County, a full and true account of its receipts, ex-
penses and expenditures; said Commission shall employ a certified
public accountant, certified to practice as a public accountant in the
State of Maryland, to audit its books and accounts. Said Commission
shall always keep available and open to public inspection during
business hours, at its principal office, a detailed audit and financial
statement of its accounts. The Commission shall file with the County
Commissioners of Prince George's County and the County Council of
Montgomery County, annually, a certified copy of such detailed audit
and financial statement.

Said Commission is authorized to formulate and adopt a pension or
retirement plan for its employees including the right to contract with
any established insurance company or insurance companies for a
group, annuity, retirement or pension plan, and to contribute so much
thereto as it may deem equitable, or be required to pay under any
contract, and such contribution or payment shall be charged as ex-
penses of the several departments of the Commission in the same
proportion that the receipts of the respective department bear to the
total receipts of the Commission.

The General Assembly of Maryland hereby finds, determines and
declares that the term "Municipal Corporation" in Article HE of
the Constitution of Maryland does not embrace or include the Wash-
ington Suburban Sanitary District which was incorporated by Chap-
ter 122 of the Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland of 1918,
that the Washington Suburban Sanitary District cannot be classified
in any group of Municipal Corporations as required by said Article
HE, and that said Article HE therefore has no application to the
Washington Suburban Sanitary District.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
June 1, 1959. IS HEREBY DECLARED TO BE AN EMERGENCY