MARVIN MANDEL, Governor                           1251

CHAPTER 533
(House Bill 1250)

AN ACT to add new Sections 312A through 312R 312Q, inclusive, to
Article 23 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1966 Replacement
Volume), title "Corporations," subtitle "Religious Corporations,"
to follow immediately after Section 312 thereof, to be under the
new subheading "Protestant Episcopal Church—Diocese of Wash-
ington," to provide generally for the Protestant Episcopal Church
—Diocese of Washington, to reflect in said Article the provisions of
Chapter 24 of The Acts of 1798, known as The Vestry Act, and the
amendments thereof, as applicable to the Parishes of the Protes-
tant Episcopal Church of the Diocese of Washington in Charles,
St. Mary's, Prince George's and Montgomery counties; and relat-
ing generally to the organization, administration and control of
the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Washington.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That new Sections 312A through 312R 312Q, inclusive, be and they
are hereby added to Article 23 of the Annotated Code of Maryland
(1966 Replacement Volume), title "Corporations," subtitle "Religious
Corporations," to follow immediately after Section 312 thereof, to
be under the new subheading "Protestant Episcopal Church—
Diocese of Washington, said sections to include in the Annotated
Code of Maryland, the provisions of Chapter 24 of the Acts of 1798,
known as The Vestry Act, and the amendments thereto, and to read
as follows:

Protestant Episcopal Church—Diocese of Washington
312A.

The vestries shall be chosen for each parish within this Diocese in
the following manner:

Every member of the parish who shall have been entered on the
books of the parish as a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church,
at least one month preceding the day of parish election, shall have the
right of suffrage for the election of vestrymen at the annual meeting
of such parish and for all other matters which may duly come before
the parish at any annual or special meeting. In the case of a newly
organized parish, the right of suffrage shall extend to all members
of the new congregation for the election of the initial vestry and the
adoption of by-laws. Additional qualifications for suffrage not incon-
sistent herewith, if any, shall be contained in by-laws adopted in
accordance with the provisions of (a) hereof, provided that the age
of all voters shall not be less than 18 years of age.

(a) The parishes and separate congregations of the Protestant
Episcopal Church in the State of Maryland may by by-laws provide
for the time, place, and manner of calling the annual meeting and all
special meetings of the parish and the manner of conducting elections
of vestrymen, the number of vestrymen to be elected, and all special
meetings of the parish and the manner of conducting elections of ves-
trymen, the number of vestrymen to be elected, and the length of the
terms of the offices of vestrymen. Such by-laws may be adopted at
any annual meeting or special meeting of members of the parish or
congregation by a vote of two-thirds of the qualified voters present