SPIRO T. AGNEW, Governor                      1643

ROADS ARE BEING OR HAVE BEEN CONSTRUCTED OR IM-
PROVED WITH FUNDS OBTAINED PURSUANT TO THE FED-
ERAL HIGHWAY ACT, INCLUDING A REQUIREMENT THAT
THE LOCAL HIGHWAY AUTHORITY APPROVE UTILITY LO-
CATION CONSTRUCTION PLANS, AND REQUIRING SUCH AP-
PROVAL TO BE SHOWN ON THE PLANS BEFORE PLACING
OR CONSTRUCTING SUCH FACILITIES AND LINES AND
FURTHER DIRECTING THE COMMISSION AND THE LOCAL
HIGHWAY AUTHORITIES TO WORK WITH THE APPROPRI-
ATE FEDERAL AUTHORITIES IN SUCH SITUATIONS SO AS TO
PROMOTE ECONOMICAL AND ENGINEERINGLY COMPATI-
BLE UTILIZATION OF SUCH HIGHWAYS AND ROADS, AND
TO ALLOW FOR PROVIDING RIGHT OF WAY SPACE FOR
SUCH FACILITIES IN THE EVENT THE USE OF THE HIGH-
WAY RIGHT OF WAY MAY BE DISAPPROVED.

May 7, 1968.

Honorable Marvin Mandel
Speaker of the House of Delegates
State House
Annapolis, Maryland

Dear Mr. Speaker:

In accordance with Section 17 of Article II of the Maryland
Constitution, I have vetoed today House Bill 50 and am returning
it to you.

This bill would transfer the control of utilities along certain
roads in Prince George's County and Montgomery County from the
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission to the County Govern-
ments.

While seldom is it valid to consider the legislative progress of
an act, I believe that in this case it is necessary. The bill was
introduced on January 18 and was lodged in Committee until March
23, three days before the end of the legislative session. At that time
it emerged bearing no resemblance to the original measure, the en-
tire body of the bill having been changed. No hearings were held
during the legislative session on the bill, and while this is quite
understandable in many cases, the drastic effect this bill could have
on the public utility companies operating in this State would seem
to demand a hearing in this instance. Notice was not given to the
Public Service Commission either, although there is little doubt that
the Commission should certainly be involved in any attempt to legis-
late in this area.

As a result of the above, neither the Utility Companies nor the
Public Service Commission were aware of the provisions of the bill
until days after the end of the legislative session. It is clear that
the bill affects the companies in such a way that compliance on their
part would be difficult, if not impossible. Likewise it is evident that
the Utilities' rights to use highway right of ways would be curtailed