608                              LAWS OF MARYLAND                      [CH. 314

CHAPTER 314
(House Bill 1159)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 1 of
Article 89 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1964 Replacement
Volume), title "Department of Labor and Industry," subtitle "In
General," providing that the salary of the Commissioner of Labor
and Industry shall be that as provided in the budget.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Section 1 of Article 89 of the Annotated Code of Maryland
(1964 Replacement Volume), title "Department of Labor and In-
dustry," subtitle "In General," be and it is hereby repealed and re-
enacted, with amendments, to read as follows:

1.

The Department of Labor and Industry is hereby created. The
head of said Department shall be known as the Commissioner and
shall be appointed by the Governor for a term of four years, and
until his successor shall be appointed and shall have qualified, and
shall devote his entire time to the performance of the duties of his
office. Any vacancy shall be filled by the Governor for the unexpired
term. The term of the present Commissioner shall terminate on
June 30, 1953. The Governor shall appoint to take office on July 1,
1953, a person duly qualified to serve as Commissioner for an initial
term expiring on the first Monday in May, 1955, or until his succes-
sor shall have qualified as hereinabove provided. The Governor may
at any time remove the Commissioner from office for inefficiency,
neglect of duty or malfeasance in office. [The salary of the Com-
missioner shall be set by the Standard Salary Board.] The Com-
missioner shall receive a salary as provided in the budget. The said
Commissioner shall be allowed for actual and necessary expenses in-
curred in the discharge of his duties.

The title of the present administrative assistant shall be deputy
commissioner, who shall receive such salary as may be set by the
Standard Salary Board, and the said deputy commissioner shall re-
tain, without further examination, all rights and privileges under
the State Merit System Law and the State Employees' Retirement
System.

At any time hereafter the office of deputy commissioner shall be-
come vacant the State Commissioner of Personnel shall, as soon as
practical, conduct a competitive promotional examination open only
to the employees of the Department and who shall have had at the
time of taking the examination not less than three years experience
in the work of the Department. The deputy commissioner, in the
event of the absence, death, resignation, disability, or disqualifica-
tion of the Commissioner, or in case the office of the Commissioner
shall for any cause become vacant, shall have and exercise all the
powers and duties vested by law in the Commissioner.

All other employees of the office of Commissioner of Labor and
Statistics shall be transferred to the Department of Labor and In-
dustry and retain their present classifications under the merit system