800                                   LAWS OF MARYLAND                          [CH. 488

declared to be against State public policy, illegal and void, and no
Court in this State shall give any effect to any provisions or
stipulation in any such Contract mentioned in this Section; nor
shall any defense to liability under any such Contract be based upon
any such shorter limitation period.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
June 1, 1966.

Approved April 29, 1966.

CHAPTER 488
(House Bill 965)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 1 of
Article 54 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition),
title "Land Office," to provide that upon the abolition of the office
of Commissioner of the Land Office, the words "Commissioner
of the Land Office" in said Code shall mean the Archivist of the
Hall of Records Commission, transferring certain employees of the
Land Office to the said Records Commission at said time, and pro-
viding that this Act shall be ineffective upon the rejection of the
constitutional amendment proposed by this General Assembly for
the abolition of the office of Land Commissioner.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Section 1 of Article 54 of the Annotated Code of Maryland
(1957 Edition), title "Land Office," be and it is hereby repealed
and re-enacted, with amendments, to read as follows:

1.

(a)    Definition of "Commissioner of the Land Office." Upon the
abolition of the office of the Commissioner of the Land Office as
provided in the Act of 1966 amending Section 4 of Article VII
of the Constitution, the words "Commissioner of the Land Office"
or "Land Commissioner" as used in this Code shall mean the Archi-
vist appointed by the Hall of Records Commission.

(b)    The Commissioner of the Land Office is a court of record
with the same power to preserve order, punish contempts and enforce
obedience to his orders and adjudications as is possessed by any
other court of record.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That all persons employed by
the Commissioner of the Land Office pursuant to Section 2 of Article
54 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition) and so em-
ployed on the date mentioned in Section 1 of this Act shall be trans-
ferred to the Hall of Records Commission and shall thereafter be
employees of such Commission as fully as if initially appointed pur-
suant to Section 172 of Article 41 of said Code.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
June 1, 1966, provided, however, that if the qualified voters of this