744                             LAWS OF MARYLAND                       CH. 451

construction of airport facilities generally, and for the mainte-
nance, repair and operation thereof; granting power to the
Authority under certain conditions to acquire necessary real and
personal property; providing for the financing of certain capital
improvements and new airport construction by the State through
the use of general obligation bonds or by general funds; provid-
ing for issuance of revenue bonds for additions to and improve-
ments of existing facilities by contracts with airlines to defray
the cost of the bonds so issued; providing for the issuance of
revenue bonds of the Authority payable solely from rentals and
other revenues of the Authority; prescribing the powers and
duties of the Authority in connection with the foregoing and the
rights and remedies of holders of bonds issued; providing penal-
ties for violation of the provisions of said Article 62C and of any
rule or regulation lawfully adopted or promulgated by the Author-
ity; relating generally to certain officers and employees of the
Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and to their transfer of
employment to the Authority; AND PROVIDING FOR THE
PENSION RIGHTS AND BENEFITS OF THESE OFFICERS
AND EMPLOYEES; terminating the power of the Mayor and
City Council of Baltimore under certain conditions to issue or sell
certain stock or certificates of indebtedness; PROVIDING FOR
THE POSSIBLE MERGER OF THE AUTHORITY WITH THE
MARYLAND PORT AUTHORITY, and relating generally to the
Maryland Airport Authority, its powers, duties, employees,
finances, functions, and operations, and to the control and opera-
tions of airports in this State.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That a new Article be and the same is hereby added to the Anno-
tated Code of Maryland (1964 Replacement Volume), said new
Article to be number 62C, title "Maryland Airport Authority," to
follow immediately after Article 62B, and to read as follows:

Article 62C

Maryland Airport Authority
1. Legislative intent.

(a)  The General Assembly of Maryland makes the following dec-
larations as a statement of its legislative intent in the enactment of
this Article.

(b)   The Friendship International Airport which is owned and
operated by the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore is rendering
a service to the entire State. Residents of all parts of the State
benefit directly from the commerce which the Friendship Interna-
tional Airport attracts and services. Any improvement to this Air-
port which increases its air passenger and air freight traffic, both
domestic and foreign, will benefit the people of the entire State of
Maryland. At the present time anticipated conditions under which
the Airport must operate because of the advance to be made in air
transportation in the immediate future require a substantial finan-
cial investment to enable the Airport to continue to grow along with
the expansion of air traffic.

(c)   The purpose of the General Assembly in enacting this Article
is to recognize the importance of Friendship International Airport