1012                              LAWS OF MARYLAND                        [CH. 576

the chief clerk or prothonotary of the court by which said security
was taken; and provided further that the court is satisfied of the
truth of the facts set forth in such petition and of the sufficiency of
such security.

Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
June 1, 1966.

Approved May 6, 1966.

CHAPTER 576
(Senate Bill 152)

AN ACT to repeal Sections 12E and 12F of Article 81 of the Anno-
tated Code of Maryland (1965 Replacement Volume), title "Revenue
and Taxes", subtitle "What Shall Be Taxed and Where", and to
enact a new Section 12E in lieu thereof, to stand in the place of the
section so repealed, to authorize counties and municipalities in the
State to provide for tax credits for real property taxes based upon
property determined to be an "open space" or "open area" as de-
fined by Section 357A of Article 66C of the Code; to fix the amount
of the tax credit; to permit establishment of categories of lands
within which credits will be uniform and to provide for the pro-
cedure for determining the property to which this credit is ap-
plicable; to provide for the effect of determinations of such land
under this Act in condemnation proceedings against such lands;
and providing generally for tax credits for open space or open
area property in this State.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Sections 12E and 12F of Article 81 of the Annotated Code of
Maryland (1965 Replacement Volume), title "Revenue and Taxes",
subtitle "What Shall Be Taxed and Where", be and they are hereby
repealed; and that a new Section 12E be and it is hereby enacted in
lieu thereof, to stand in the place of the sections so repealed, and to
read as follows:

12E.

(a)   This section, to the exclusion of any other public general law
and any public local law except those public local laws enacted
pursuant to Chapters 669 and 670 of the Acts of the Regular Ses-
sion of 1965, and those in which this section is specifically referred
to, controls and regulates exclusively the granting of any special
tax credit based upon land, exclusive of any improvements thereon,
which is determined to be an "open space" or "open area" as de-
fined by subsection (b) of Section 357A of Article 66C, and for
which the owner or a predecessor in title has permanently con-
veyed or assigned to the state, local or federal government, or The
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, an ease-
ment or other interests in the land which limits the use thereof in
such manner as to preserve its natural open character in perpetuity.

(b)  The valuation and assessment of all such property shall be
made and accomplished in all respects as other real and personal
property in the particular subdivision.