Marvin Mandel, Governor                         151

pointments and such appointments shall not be renewed. Provided,
however, that for the duration of any war in which the United
States may be engaged or of any nationally declared emergency and
for such period thereafter as in the discretion of the [Commis-
sioner] Secretary with the approval of the Governor, an emergency
exists, the [Commissioner] Secretary may extend the period of
emergency employment when the positions cannot otherwise be filled;
no person so employed shall be eligible for membership in the State
Employees Retirement System but shall be entitled to the benefits
of the workmen's compensation laws.

25.

All county and/or municipal employees of county and/or municipal
health departments in this State who were so employed on June 30,
1956, and who, while so employed, apply to the [Commissioner]
Secretary of Personnel for appointment under the State merit system
on or before July 1, 1961, shall be so appointed, and shall be classified
in the job classification under the State merit system which is
comparable or which most closely compares with their last job clas-
sification as a county and/or municipal employee of a county and/or
municipal health department of this State. All employees appointed
to the State merit system pursuant to this section shall be given
credit thereunder for the years of service rendered in said county
and/or municipal health departments for the purposes of establish-
ing compensation rates and the basic rates for vacation and sick
leave credit earnings. No such employee who has transferred from a
county and/or municipal health department to the State merit system
shall receive any diminution in compensation solely as a result of
such transfer and appointment.

25A.

Any employee of the laboratory of the Baltimore City health
department who, while so employed, applies to the [Commissioner]
Secretary of Personnel for appointment under the State merit system
on or before July 1, 1970, shall be so appointed, and without
further examination or qualification shall be classified in the job
classification under the State merit system which is comparable or
which most closely compares with his last job classification as a Balti-
more City employee. An employee appointed to the State merit
system under this section shall be given credit thereunder for the
years of service rendered in Baltimore City for the purposes of
establishing retirement and death benefits, compensation rates, in-
cluding longevity steps, and the basic rates for vacation and sick
leave credit earnings. No such employee who has been transferred
from the Baltimore City Health department to the State merit
system shall receive any diminution in compensation solely as a
result of such transfer and appointment.

25B.

Any employee of the Baltimore City health department who is
engaged in the processing of payments for medical care services in
Baltimore City who, while so employed, applies to the [Commis-
sioner] Secretary of Personnel for appointment under the State
merit system on or before July 1, 1967, shall be so appointed, and
without further examination or qualification shall be classified in the
job classification under the State merit system which is comparable