MARVIN MANDEL, Governor                              9

1-102. Verification.

When a writing is required by this Article to be verified, verifi-
cation shall be sufficient if the writing is signed by the person re-
quired to make the verification and contains the following represen-
tation:

I do solemnly declare and affirm under the penalties of perjury
that the contents of the foregoing document are true and correct to
the best of my knowledge, information and belief.

1-103. Notice.

Unless personal service or notice by publication is expressly
required in this Article or by the Maryland Rules, the first notice
required or permitted to be given to any person under this Article
shall be sufficient if deposited as registered or certified mail, postage
prepaid, return receipt requested, addressed to the addressee at the
address last known to the sender, with delivery restricted to the
addressee. Any subsequent notice to such person in accordance with
this Article shall be sufficient if deposited as ordinary mail, postage
prepaid, addressed to the same address at which the first notice was
received, as evidenced by return through the post office of the return
receipt for such notice, or, after notice in writing from the said
addressee of a change of address, to his new address. If no return
receipt is received apparently signed by the addressee, and there is
no proof of actual notice, no action taken in any proceeding under
this Article shall prejudice the rights of the person entitled to notice
unless proof is made by verified writing to the satisfaction of the
Court or Register that reasonable efforts to locate the addressee and
warn him of the pendency of the action have been made.

1-104. Gender; singular or plural number.

Unless otherwise apparent from the context: words of the
masculine gender include the feminine and neuter; words in the
singular number include the plural; and words in the plural number
include the singular.

1 -105. Construction of Article.

(a)    Purposes. The purposes of this Article are to simplify the
administration of estates, to reduce the expenses of administration,
to clarify the law governing decedents' estates, and to eliminate
certain provisions of existing law which are archaic, often meaning-
less under modern procedures and no longer useful. This Article shall
be liberally construed and applied to promote its underlying pur-
poses.

(b)    Severability. If any provision or clause of this Article, or
application thereof, to any person or circumstances is held invalid,
such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the
Article which can be given effect without the invalid provision or
application, and to this end the provisions of this Article are declared
to be severable.

(c)    Presumption. Unless otherwise expressly provided, when-
ever this Article states that a fact shall be presumed, the presumption
is rebuttable.