1432                                      VETOES

peake Bay Affairs, referred to above, and set forth in the body of
the Bill. This omission is in contravention of Article III Section 29
of the Maryland Constitution. Secondly, the Bill is unconstitutional
for the reasons stated in my letter to you of April 27, 1965, namely:

"The obvious defect in this Bill is that it permits Worcester
or Somerset County residents to take crabs by means of crab
pots from the waters of the respective counties, but prohibits
other Maryland residents from taking crabs from such waters by
means of crab pots. The constitutional guarantee of equal pro-
tection of the laws renders invalid statutes which effect an un-
lawful discrimination in favor of the inhabitants of a political
subdivision or county as against other residents of the State.
Md. Coal and Realty Co. v. Bureau of Mines, 193 Md. 627;
Jewel Tea Co. v. Bel Air, 172 Md. 536; 61 A.L.R. 337; 112
A.L.R. 63; 12 Am. Jur., Constitutional Law, Section 538."

For the foregoing reasons it is my opinion that you should
withhold your approval from Senate Bill 496.

Very truly yours,

(s) Thomas B. Fin an,

Attorney General.

Senate Bill No. 503—Overweight Motor Vehicles

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 315
(f) and (j) of Article 66½ of the Annotated Code of Maryland
(1957 Edition and 1965 Supplement), title "Motor Vehicles," sub-
title "Operation of Vehicles Upon Highways," to change the require-
ments for weighing of vehicles and loads using the highways, the
unloading of overweight vehicles and loads, the redistribution of
weights where axle violations occur, to except vehicles from the
weight laws where going to weighing scales and to provide penalties
for violations.

May 6, 1966.

Honorable William S. James
President of the Senate
State House
Annapolis, Maryland

Dear Mr. President:

In accordance with the provisions of Article 2, Section 17 of
the Maryland Constitution, I have today vetoed Senate Bill 503.

The Maryland State Police which is currently enforcing the
over-size and over-weight truck laws has advised me that Senate Bill
503 raises certain serious enforcement problems.

Under the provisions of this Bill when a vehicle is in violation
of an axle limitation but within the legal gross maximum weight, the
driver would be permitted to redistribute the contents of the ve-