818                               Laws of Maryland                      [Ch. 403

merit Security. The Department of Employment Security shall report
the average weekly wage of the State of Maryland as of July 1,
to the Workmen's Compensation Commission no later than December
15 of each year. The average weekly wage used for 1968 shall be
that average weekly wage established by the Department of Employ-
ment Security as of July 1, 1967. In no case shall the employee receive
less than a minimum of twenty-five dollars per week unless the
employee's established weekly wages are less than twenty-five dollars
per week at the time of the injury, in which event he shall receive
compensation equal to his weekly wages [but in no case to continue
more than four years in the aggregate]. Nothing in this subsection
shall be construed or applied to affect or change the law as to any
such injury or strain which occurred prior to the effective date of
this subsection. This section shall only apply to injuries occurring
on or after July 1, 1968.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall not apply to
accidental injuries or occupational diseases occurring prior to July
1, 1971.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
July 1, 1971.

Approved May 6, 1971.

CHAPTER 403
(House Bill 543)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Sections 36(8)
(a) and (b) of Article 101 of the Annotated Code of Maryland
(1970 Supplement), title "Workmen's Compensation," subtitle
"Claims and Compensation; Benefits," to change the maximum
benefits payable to dependents in cases where injury causes death
within a certain period of time.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Sections 36(8) (a) and (b) of Article 101 of the Annotated
Code of Maryland (1970 Supplement), title "Workmen's Compensa-
tion," subtitle "Claims and Compensation; Benefits," be and
they are hereby repealed and re-enacted, with amendments, to read
as follows:

36.

(8) (a) In case the injury causes death within the period of five
years the benefits shall be in the amounts and to the persons follow-
ing: If there are wholly dependent persons at the time of death, the
payment shall be sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of the average
weekly wages, not to exceed, however, a maximum of [seventy
dollars ($70.00) per week] sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of
the average weekly wage of the State of Maryland as determined by
the Department of Employment Security, as provided in Section
36(2) of this Article and not less than a minimum of twenty-five