SPIRO T. AGNEW, Governor                      617

title "General Provisions," be and it is hereby repealed and re-enacted,
with amendments, to read as follows:

3.

(1) To provide for competitive bidding for any county work and
the making and awarding of contracts for the purchase of materials
and supplies in excess of $1,000 in Harford County, in excess of
$1,500 in Allegany County, and in all other counties $500 and to
require bonds in connection with said work or contracts, whenever
deemed proper; and if no bids are submitted in response to any calls
therefor, to place the order as in their discretion they deem best.
The provisions of this subsection will not be applicable in Kent
County.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
July 1, 1968.

Approved April 10, 1968.

CHAPTER 428
(House Bill 976)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments Section 36(1)
(a) of Article 101 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1964
Replacement Volume and 1967 Supplement), title "Workmen's
Compensation," subtitle "Claims and Compensation; Benefits," to
provide for a change in the amount of benefits payable, both maxi-
mum and minimum, for permanent total disability.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Section 36(1) (a) of Article 101 of the Annotated Code of
Maryland (1964 Replacement Volume and 1967 Supplement), title
"Workmen's Compensation," subtitle "Claims and Compensation;
Benefits," be and it is hereby repealed and re-enacted, with amend-
ments, to read as follows:

36.

(l)(a) In case of total disability, adjudged to be permanent
sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of the average weekly wages
shall be paid to the employee by the employer or insurer during the
continuance of such total disability, not to exceed a maximum of
[fifty-five] seventy dollars per week and not less than a minimum of
[eighteen] twenty-five dollars per week, unless the employee's estab-
lished weekly wages are less than [eighteen] twenty-five dollars per
week at the time of the injury, in which event he shall receive com-
pensation in an amount equal to his average weekly wages both not
to exceed a total of $30,000.00. Loss or loss of use of both hands,
or both arms, or both feet or both legs, or both eyes, or of any two
thereof, shall, in the absence of conclusive proof to the contrary,
constitute permanent total disability. In all other cases permanent
total disability shall be determined in accordance with the facts.