Marvin Mandel, Governor                        1187

The [Authority] Administration may reject any and all bids and
readvertise in its discretion. If after rejecting bids the [Au-
thority] Administration determines and resolves that, in its
opinion, the supplies, equipment and materials may be purchased at a
lower price in the open market, the [Authority] Administration
may give each responsible bidder an opportunity to negotiate a
price and may proceed to purchase the supplies, equipment and
materials in the open market at a negotiated price which is lower
than the lowest rejected bid of a responsible bidder, without further
observance of the provisions requiring bids or notice. The [Au-
thority] Administration shall adopt rules and regulations to pro-
vide for purchasing from the lowest responsible bidder when sealed
bids, notice and publication are not required by this section. Pur-
chases on behalf of the Administration of rolling stock and other
property peculiar to the operation of transit systems, shall not be
subject to the provisions of Article hi, Sections 231G-231K of this
Code.

48.

It is hereby declared that the creation of the [Authority] Ad-
ministration and the carrying out of the [corporate] purposes of
the [Authority] Administration is in all respects for the benefit
of the people of the State and of the District and is for a public
purpose and that the [Authority and the board] Administration
will be performing an essential governmental function. Accordingly,
any and all real and personal property (both tangible and intangible)
any and all right, title and interest therein, gross receipts, gross
or net income, purchases, sales, franchises, licenses, operations, ac-
tivities and functions, owned or controlled, or received, or made, or
performed or carried on, by the [Authority] Administration shall
be and remain totally exempt from any and all ORDINARY OR
SPECIAL taxes, assessments, charges and fees of every kind AND
CHARGES EXCEPT WATER AND SEWER CHARGES, now or
hereafter in effect, imposed, levied or made by the State of Maryland
or any political subdivision, or any agency or instrumentality of any
of them.

Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That Sections 4, 5, 10(d)
and 341(d-3) of Article 66˝ of the Annotated Code of Maryland
(1957 Edition, 1967 Replacement Volume, 1969 Supplement), title
"Motor Vehicles," subtitle "Administration—Registration—Titling,"
and "Offenses and Prosecutions" be and they are hereby repealed
in their entirety, and that Sections 2(a)(7), 2(a)(11), 7, 10(a),
10(b), 10(c), 10(e), 11, 29(c), 81(t), 149A(c), 149A(d), 150(b),
152, 152A, 153, 341 (d) and 341 (d-2) of the same Article, subtitles
"In General," "Administration—Registration—Titling," "MOTOR
VEHICLE FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY," "Unsatisfied Claim
and Judgment Fund," and "Offenses and Prosecutions," be and they
are hereby repealed and reenacted, with amendments, all to read as
follows:

2. (a)

(7) Commissioner [.] or Administrator mean [The Commis-
sioner of Motor Vehicles of this State ] the Motor Vehicle Admin-
istrator whose office is established by Article 41, Section 207E, of
this Code.