MARVIN MANDEL, Governor                        859

the generality of the foregoing, he shall have power to assign and
rotate the judges of said court among its various divisions and parts in
such manner as he shall determine, subject to the limitations herein-
after in this subsection provided with respect to the housing part of
the criminal division and to designate the days of the week and hours
of the day or night when such judges shall sit in the various parts
and divisions. Notwithstanding the foregoing power in the chief
judge to assign and rotate the judges of said court, any assignment
to the housing part of the criminal division shall be for a minimum
period of twelve months, provided, however, that the foregoing
limitation shall not prevent either (1) the assignment of another
judge temporarily to preside in the housing part in event of the ill-
ness, temporary absence or other temporary inability to serve of
the judge regularly assigned to the housing part; or (2) the regular
assignment of another judge to the housing part, from time to time,
for such minimum period of twelve months, in the event of the
request for reassignment by or the resignation or other permanent
inability to serve of the judge regularly assigned to the housing part,
or in the event of the reassignment by the chief judge with the con-
currence and approval of a majority of all the other judges, of the
judge regularly assigned to the housing part, or (3) the judge
regularly assigned to the housing part from being assigned from
time to time to preside in another part or division of the court when
not engaged in the trial of cases in the housing part.

In the absence of the chief judge, that associate judge who is
senior in service on the court shall be the acting chief judge. If two
or more associate judges shall be equally senior in such service, that
associate judge who shall be senior in date of admission to practice
before the Court of Appeals of Maryland, from among the associate
judges equally senior in such service, shall be the acting chief judge.
The acting chief judge shall perform all of the duties and exercise
all of the powers imposed and conferred upon the chief judge during
the absence of the chief judge.

(b) The associate judges of said court shall each be paid a
salary [of $18,500.00] per annum equivalent to 85% of the salary
paid to the judges of the Supreme Bench of Baltimore City OF
$25,925.00 TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($25,000.00).

(B-1) THE SALARIES AUTHORIZED UNDER THIS SEC-
TION SHALL NOT BE SUPPLEMENTED IN ANY MANNER
WHATSOEVER.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
July 1, 1969.

Approved April 23, 1969.

CHAPTER 398
(House Bill 1341)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 13J of
Article 66C of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1967 Replace-
ment Volume), title "Natural Resources," subtitle "In General,"