824                               Laws of Maryland                      [Ch. 265

as "Martin Luther King Day" and shall be a day of prayer
in honor of Martin Luther King.] The Governor of this State shall
have the power by proclamation to appoint a day or days for the
general cessation of business in any one or more of the political
subdivisions of the State, in case of emergency from fire, flood or
otherwise, with the same legal consequences as hereinabove provided.
In case of emergency from fire, flood, storm, snow or other cause
in any part of the State, the Governor shall have the further power
by proclamation to appoint a day or days during which banking
institutions (as defined in Article 11 of the Annotated Code of
Maryland) within the area or areas designated in the proclamation
may remain closed, in which case the appointed day or days shall
be treated and considered as the first day of the week, commonly
called Sunday, with the same legal consequences as hereinabove pro-
vided.

Whenever the 1st day of January, the 15th day of January,
the 12th day of February, the 25th day of March, the 4th day of
July, the 12th day of September, or the 25th day of December
shall occur on Sunday, the Monday next following shall be deemed
and treated as a public holiday for all or any of the purposes afore-
said; provided, however, that in such case all bills of exchange),

bank checks, drafts and promissory notes which would otherwise

be presented for acceptance or for payment on either of the Mondays
so observed as a holiday, shall be deemed to be presentable for accept-
ance or for payment on either of the Mondays so observed as a
holiday, shall be deemed to be presentable for acceptance or for
payment on the secular or business day next succeeding such
Monday, and such Mondays so observed for all purposes whatever
as regards the presenting for payment and acceptance and of the pro-

testing and giving notice of the dishonor of bills of exchange, bank

checks, drafts and promissory notes be also treated and considered

as in the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday.

Notwithstanding any of the provisions of Sections 9 and 11 of
this subtitle, any banking institution as determined by a resolution
of its board of directors may elect to remain open for business on any

day of the year except, Sundays, New Year's Day, Martin Luther

King Day, Washington's Birthday, Good Friday, the last Monday in
May, commonly called Memorial Day, the fourth day of July, Labor
Day, the second Monday in October, known as Columbus Day, the
fourth Monday in October known as Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving

Day and Christmas. Any day which but for the action of the

board of directors of any bank would be a legal holiday shall not be a
legal holiday for that banking institution. All laws concerning legal
holidays shall apply or not apply to any banking institution acting
under the provisions of this section according to the action of its
board of directors in declaring such day to be or not to be a legal
holiday.

11.

12.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
July 1, 1972.

Approved May 5, 1972.