576                              Laws of Maryland                      [Ch. 181

District Court shall be borne exclusively by the State, and, except as
provided in § 155, all revenues derived from the operation and admin-
istration of the court shall enure to the general funds of the State.
[For the period July 1, 1971, through July 4, 1971, the State shall
pay the salary and contributions to any municipal or county health,
retirement or pension plan with respect to every judge of a people's
court, the Municipal Court of Baltimore City, the Housing Court of
Baltimore County, every justice of the peace designated a trial magis-
trate or a committing magistrate and every employee of any court
or any justice of the peace who is in office or is employed on July 1,
1971. The State is authorized to pay, for the period of July 1, 1971,
through July 4, 1971, the proportionate part of any rent provided
for and otherwise payable by a county or municipality under a lease
in effect on July 1, 1971, providing space for any people's court, the
Municipal Court of Baltimore City, the Housing Court of Baltimore
County, or any trial magistrate or any justice of the peace designated
as trial magistrate or committing magistrate. All fines, fees, forfeit-
ures, costs and other moneys received by or paid through any peo-
ple's court, the Municipal Court of Baltimore City, the Housing Court
of Baltimore County, any justice of the peace designated trial magis-
trate or committing magistrate or by any employee or court or official
during the period July 1, 1971, through July 4, 1971, shall enure and
be paid to the general funds of the State.]

154. Commissioners.

(c) A commissioner shall receive applications and determine prob-
able cause for arrest warrants and criminal summonses. He shall
advise arrested persons of their constitutional rights, set bond or
commit persons to jail in default of bond or release them on personal
recognizance if circumstances warrant, and conduct investigations
and inquiries into the circumstances of any matter presented to him
in order to determine if probable cause exists for the issuance of a
warrant or criminal summons and, in general, perform all the func-
tions of committing magistrates as exercised by the justices of the
peace prior to the effective date of this section in the City of Baltimore
and each county, and there shall be in each county and the City of
Baltimore, at all times, one or more commissioners available for the
convenience of the public and police in obtaining warrants or criminal
summonses and to advise arrested persons of their rights as required
by law.

[(i) In any criminal case within the exclusive original jurisdiction
of the District Court, a commissioner may, in lieu of issuing a war-
rant, issue a summons requiring the person charged to appear for
trial at a specified time and place. The summons may be issued only
if the commissioner determines that the public interest, including the
safety of any prosecuting witness, does not require the arrest of the
accused, and that the public interest does not require that the accused
be placed under personal recognizance, bail, bond or other security
for his appearance. Each summons shall be signed by the person
accused, and shall include a statement of his promise to appear for
trial at the time and place specified in the summons.]

[(ii) It is unlawful for any person to violate his written promise
to appear in accordance with the summons, but the written promise to
appear may be complied with through an appearance by counsel.]