(b) The Board in its discretion may pay such grant in lump sum
or in such installments as it deems appropriate, but no part of such
grant shall be paid by the Board to any person other than the
person so pardoned, nor shall the person so pardoned pay any part
of the sum received to any person for services rendered in connec-
tion with its collection. Any such obligation incurred is hereby
declared to be void, and any payment so made shall be thereby for-
feited to the State of Maryland; but nothing in this section shall
preclude a person from validly contracting for services to determine
his innocence, or in order to obtain his pardon, or to secure his
release from prison, where otherwise permitted by law.

(C) IN THE COMPUTATION OF ANY GRANT UNDER THE
PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION, IF THE PERSON ALREADY
HAS BEEN PAID SOME COMPENSATION BY THE STATE
BECAUSE OF HIS ERRONEOUS IMPRISONMENT, THE TOTAL
AMOUNT OF ANY SUCH COMPENSATION SHALL BE DE-
DUCTED FROM THE GRANT COMPUTED UNDER THE FORE-
GOING PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
June 1, 1963.

Approved March 29, 1963.

CHAPTER 178
(Senate Bill 122)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 134 of
Article 33 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition,
1962 Supplement), title "Elections", sub-title "Board of Can-

J. MILLARD TAWES, Governor                      335

ernor and found by him to be innocent of the crime of which he
was convicted, an amount not exceeding $10.00 for each day served
in a place of confinement pursuant to sentence imposed for such
crime, with certain provisions for and limitations on the manner
AND AMOUNT of payment.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That new Section 16A be and it is hereby added to Article 78A of
the Annotated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition), title ''Public
Works", sub-title "Board of Public Works", to follow immediately
after Section 16 thereof, and to read as follows:

16A. (a) The Board of Public Works shall MAY, IN ITS DIS-
CRETION, grant from the general emergency fund or from funds
provided therefor by the Governor in the Budget Bill, to each person
erroneously convicted, sentenced and confined under the laws of this
State for a crime he did not commit, a sum not exceeding ten dollars
($10.00) for each day served in any place of confinement pursuant to
the sentence imposed for such crime, provided that such person shall
have received a full pardon from the Governor of this State in which
it is made known that the person so pardoned has been conclusively
shown to have been convicted in error. Such payment shall be

allowed to a person so pardoned whether or not the pardon was

granted before or after the effective date of this section.