1132                                    LAWS OF MARYLAND                              Ch. 507

DEATH BENEFITS OR THE ESTATE OF THE DECEDENT, ARE
INSUFFICIENT TO PAY THE FUNERAL EXPENSES. THE COST OF THE
PAYMENT SHALL BE CHARGED TWO-THIRDS TO STATE FUNDS
AND ONE-THIRD TO LOCAL FUNDS. THE PROVISIONS OF THIS
SECTION ARE SUBJECT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF SECTION 18A
OF THIS ARTICLE.

SECTION 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take
effect July 1, 1973.

Approved May 21, 1973.

CHAPTER 508
(House Bill 85)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Sections [[159]] 161 and
[[166]] 168 of Article 26 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1966
Replacement Volume and 1972 Interim Supplement), title "Courts," subtitle
"Uniform Certification of Questions of Law Act," to provide that the Court of
Appeals may answer questions of law certified to it by the highest appellate or
intermediate appellate court of any state in certain circumstances, and to
provide that the Court of Appeals or Court of Special Appeals may certify a
question to an intermediate appellate court of another state in certain
circumstances.

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That Sections [[159]] 161 and [[166]] 168 of Article 26 of the
Annotated Code of Maryland (1966 Replacement Volume and 1972 Interim
Supplement), title "Courts," subtitle "Uniform Certification of Questions of Law
Act," be and they are hereby repealed and re-enacted, with amendments, to read
as follows:

[[159]] 161.

The Court of Appeals may answer questions of law certified to it by the
Supreme Court of the United States, a Court of Appeals of the United States,
[or] a United States District Court OR THE HIGHEST APPELLATE COURT
OR THE INTERMEDIATE APPELLATE COURT OF ANY OTHER STATE
when requested by the certifying court if there is involved in any proceeding before
it a question of law of this State which may be determinative of the cause then
pending in the certifying court and as to which it appears to the certifying court
there is no controlling precedent in the decisions of the Court of Appeals of this
State.

[[166]] 168.

The Court of Appeals or the Court of Special Appeals of this State, on its or
their own motion or the motion of any party, may order certification of a question
of law to the highest court OR INTERMEDIATE APPELLATE COURT of any
state if it appears to the certifying court there is involved in any proceeding before
the court question of law of the receiving state which may be determinative of the
cause then pending in the certifying court and it appears to the certifying court
that there are no controlling precedents in the decisions of the highest court or
intermediate appellate courts of the receiving state.