1840                                      JOINT RESOLUTIONS

WHEREAS, Inflation has ravaged Maryland citizens and businesses alike, it is
a fact that nonetheless, title insurance companies' volume of business, instances
requiring their services, and profits have sharply increased to a point where the
need for a legislative investigation is apparent; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, That a
legislative investigation be undertaken by the House Economic Matters Committee
and Senate Economic Affairs Committee to ascertain if legislative action is
required in light of the constant low loss [[ration]] RATIO, yet never-decreasing
rate charges of Maryland title insurance companies, and to request the full
cooperation of the State Insurance Commissioner in this study; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution be sent to the Chairman of the
House Economic Matters and Senate Economic Affairs Committees, and to the
State Insurance Commissioner, Mr. Thomas J. Hatem.

Approved April 26, 1973.

No. 8
(House Joint Resolution 43)

House Joint Resolution requesting President Nixon and the Congress to restore the
funds for certain long-standing programs which have been very helpful to those
Americans involved in agriculture generally and especially to smaller farm
operations.

WHEREAS, The practice of agriculture has been the primary contributor to
and the mainstay of American economic and social development throughout the
history of this country; and

WHEREAS, The State of Maryland has from time to time enacted legislation
designed to preserve and encourage a varied agricultural program; and

WHEREAS, The federal government through a multiplicity of programs has
greatly contributed to the growth of a healthy and prosperous farming industry in
the United States; and

WHEREAS, The national administration has recently made sharp cutbacks in a
number of long-standing programs which have been helpful to agriculture generally
and especially to smaller farm operations; and

WHEREAS, The announced cutbacks are the following;

(a)Total scrapping of the Rural Environmental Assistance Program (REAP)
under which the government pays a portion of the cost of basic conservation
measures such as the seeding of bare pasture land;

(b) Choking off the 2 per cent direct loans previously available from the

Rural Electrification Administration to help cooperatives finance new
equipment (and instead now offering only to underwrite conventional 5 per
cent loans);

(c) Phasing out completely the 1 per cent "disaster loans" made by the

Farmers Home Administration for flood damage and crop failures (leaving
borrowers to rely solely on regular farm loans at 5-7/8 per cent interest);