Marvin Mandel, Governor                        1245

CHAPTER 581
(House Bill 989)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 37 (a)
of Article 64A of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1968 Re-
placement Volume), title "Merit System," to provide personal
leave to State employees.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Section 37(a) of Article 64A of the Annotated Code of Mary-
land (1968 Replacement Volume), title "Merit System" be and it
is hereby repealed and re-enacted, with amendments, to read as
follows:

37.

(a) From and after January 1, 1966, every classified employee
shall receive an annual vacation in each calendar year, a leave of
absence with pay as follows:

Less than 5 years of service—10 working days
5 to less than 20 years of service—15 working days

20 years of service and more—20 working days, provided, how-
ever, that every classified State employee on January 1, 1957, who
as of that date shall have less than five (5) years of service shall
be entitled to receive, as vacation in each calendar year until his
period of service reaches 20 years, a leave of absence with pay of
fifteen (15) working days. The term "years of service," as used
herein shall include any previous continuous State service.

Any employee using less than full vacation leave allowable be-
ginning January 1, 1942, shall be entitled to have such unused leave
accumulated up to thirty working days, which shall be available
to such employee for vacation leave at any time, with the approval
of the head of the department. In addition to such annual vacation
leave, any employee shall be entitled to sick leave with pay for not
in excess of thirty working days in any calendar year; provided,
however, that if any employee in any calendar year uses less than
the full amount of sick leave allowable, such unused leave shall be
accumulated up to one hundred working days and shall be available
to such employee for sick leave at any time. Any employee using
three or more consecutive days sick leave in any thirty-day period
shall present a certificate from a duly licensed physician before
receiving any pay for the period of such absence.

Such annual vacation leave credits shall accrue to the employee
after his first six months of State service, on a pro rata basis, and
shall be available to him for such purpose at any time thereafter,
with the approval of the head of the department. Sick leave credits
shall accrue from the beginning of the employee's State service,
on a pro rate RATA basis, and shall be available to him for such
purpose as earned. [, providing that whenever the employee must be
absent from work because of a death in his immediate family, such
absence may be charged against either earned annual vacation or
earned sick leave, at the option of the employee.]