Marvin Mandel, Governor                         835

lawfully authorized by writing, shall have the force and effect of
estates or interests at will only, and shall not either in law or equity
be deemed or taken to have any other or greater force or effect.

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

Approved May 5, 1972.

CHAPTER 276
(House Bill 324)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 31
of Article 9 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1971 Supple-
ment), title "Attachments," subtitle "Attachments of Wages or
Hire," correcting certain errors in the laws relating to the attach-
ment of wages or hire.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Section 31 of Article 9 of the Annotated Code of Maryland
(1971 Supplement), title "Attachments," subtitle "Attachments of
Wages or Hire," be and it is hereby repealed and re-enacted, with
amendments, to read as follows:

31.

(a)    No attachment of the wages or hire of any laborer or em-
ployee, in the hands of the employer, whether private individuals
or bodies incorporate, shall affect any salary or wages of the
debtor which are not actually due at the date of the attachment,
and the sum of one hundred twenty dollars multiplied by the num-
ber of weeks in which such wages due were earned or seventy-five
percent (75%) of such wages of hire, whichever is greater, due to
any laborer or employee by any employer or corporation shall always
be exempt from attachment by any process whatever except that
in Caroline, Worcester, Kent and Queen Anne's counties the exemp-
tion for any workweek shall be the greater [or] of seventy-five
percent (75%) of the wages due or thirty (30) times the federal
minimum hourly wage provided by Section 6 (a) (1) of the Fair
Labor Standards Act of 1938, U.S.C. Tit. 29 Section 206 (a) (1),
in effect at the time the earnings are payable. Every contract or
agreement of any character whatsoever of such laborer or employee,
the purpose of which is to waive this right of exemption, shall be
absolutely void, provided, however, that the salary or wages of any
laborer or employee shall not be exempt from attachment, levy or
lien at the instance of the State for income tax due the State by
any such laborer or employee.

(b)    No employer may discharge any employee by reason of the
fact that his earnings have been subjected to garnishment for any
one indebtedness within a calendar year and whoever wilfully
violates this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and sub-
ject to a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00)
and/or imprisoned not exceeding one year.