14                                Laws of Maryland                          [Ch. 7

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act is hereby de-
clared to be an emergency measure and necessary for the immediate
preservation of the public health and safety and having been passed
by a yea and nay vote supported by three-fifths of all the members
elected to each of the two houses of the General Assembly, the same
shall take effect from the date of its passage.

Approved March 30, 1971.

CHAPTER 7
(Senate Bill 331)

AN ACT to add new Sections 213 to 220, inclusive to Article 77 of
the Annotated Code of Maryland (1969 Replacement Volume), title
"Public Education," subtitle "Nonpublic Education Scholarship
Program," to follow immediately after Section 212 of said article,
AND TO BE UNDER THE NEW SUBTITLE "NONPUBLIC
EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM," to provide for a
state scholarship program for children attending approved non-
public schools, and for the administration thereof; and to add new
Section 41A to Article 77 of said Code , SUBTITLE "COUNTY
BOARDS OF EDUCATION," to follow immediately after Section
41 of said article, to provide for shared time arrangements and
the administration thereof.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That new Sections 213 to 220, inclusive, be and they are hereby added
to Article 77 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1969 Replacement
Volume), title "Public Education," subtitle "Nonpublic Education
Scholarship Program," to follow immediately after Section 212 of
said article, AND TO BE UNDER THE NEW SUBTITLE "NON-
PUBLIC EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM," and to read
as follows:

NONPUBLIC EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

213. Legislative Findings.

The General Assembly, based upon the Report and Recommenda-
tions of the Governor's Commission to Study State Aid to Nonpublic
Education, and upon its own investigation hereby finds and declares
as the public policy of the State of Maryland that:

(a)  Nonpublic schools have historically played an important role
in the education of Maryland youth;

(b)  By reason of increased costs, many of the nonpublic schools
are in great financial difficulty, and have been required to increase
tuition and other charges to the extent that many families, and in
particular low income families, are not able to send their children to
such schools;

(c)  All indications are that the problem will increase, and as a
result will force a curtailment of nonpublic education and the closing
of nonpublic schools;