1044                            LAWS OF MARYLAND                     [CH. 717

unions, partnerships, associations, corporations, legal representatives,
mutual companies, joint-stock companies, trusts, unincorporated
organizations, trustees, trustees in bankruptcy, or receivers;

(b)  the term "employer" means a person engaged in an industry
who has twenty-five or more employees for each working day in
each of twenty or more calendar weeks in the current or preceding
calendar year, and any agent of such a person, but such term does
not include (1) the State of Maryland, (2) a bona fide private mem-
bership club (other than a labor organization) which is exempt from
taxation under section 501 (c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954;
PROVIDED THAT DURING THE FIRST YEAR AFTER THE
EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS ACT. PERSONS HAVING FEWER
THAN ONE HUNDRED EMPLOYEES (AND THEIR AGENTS)
SHALL NOT BE CONSIDERED EMPLOYERS, AND DURING
THE SECOND YEAR AFTER SUCH DATE, PERSONS HAVING
FEWER THAN SEVENTY-FIVE EMPLOYEES (AND THEIR
AGENTS) SHALL NOT BE CONSIDERED EMPLOYERS, AND
DURING THE THIRD YEAR AFTER SUCH DATE, PERSONS
HAVING FEWER THAN FIFTY EMPLOYEES (AND THEIR
AGENTS) SHALL NOT BE CONSIDERED EMPLOYERS;
provided further that it shall be the policy of the State of Maryland
to insure equal employment opportunities for State employees without
discrimination because of race, color, creed, SEX or national origin
under existing authority as expressed in Article 64A Section 12 (a)
of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1964 Replacement Volume);

(c)   the term "employment agency" means any person regularly
undertaking with or without compensation to procure employees for
an employer or to procure for employees opportunities to work for
an employer and includes an agent of such a person; BUT SHALL
NOT INCLUDE AN AGENCY OF THE UNITED STATES OR
AN AGENCY OF THE STATE OF MARYLAND OR POLITICAL
SUBDIVISION THEREOF, EXCEPT SUCH TERM SHALL IN-
CLUDE THE UNITED STATES EMPLOYMENT SERVICE AND
THE SYSTEM OF STATE AND LOCAL EMPLOYMENT SERV-
ICES RECEIVING FEDERAL ASSISTANCE.

(d)  the term "labor organization" means a labor organization en-
gaged in an industry and any agent of such an organization, and
includes any organization of any kind, any agency, or employee
representation committee, group, association, or plan so engaged in
which employees participate and which exists for the purpose, in
whole or in part, of dealing with employers concerning grievances,
labor disputes, wages, rates of pay, hours, or other terms or condi-
tions of employment, and any conference, general committee, joint
or system board, or joint council so engaged which is subordinate to
a national or international labor organization.

It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer:

(a)   to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or
otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his
compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, be-
cause of such individual's race, color, creed, SEX or national origin; or

(b)  it shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employ-

26 18.