712                                        LAWS OF MARYLAND                                Ch. 310

succeeding such holiday. The 15th day of January of each and every year shall be
proclaimed by the Governor 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, robbery,
riot, or other cause of any kind whatsoever 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 provided. If the emergency condition is confined to
one or more particular banking institutions or branch offices, the proclamation
shall be limited to the institutions or offices so designated. In the event an
emergency condition arises and it is not practicable to obtain a proclamation prior
to actual closing, the institutions so affected may, by the action of the chairman of
the board of directors or the president of the institution, effect a closing; and such
closing shall have the same force and effect as a proclamation. In such instances
where the chairman of the board or the president elects to effect an emergency
closing he shall, as soon as possible, but in no event later than twenty-four (24)
hours after closing, notify the Governor or his representative of the reasons for
closing. In any case, the emergency closing shall have the force and effect of a
proclamation only (a) until the first of the following events occurs: (1) the issuance
of a proclamation by the Governor pertaining to the emergency closing, (2) notice
to the institution that the Governor declines to issue a proclamation, or (3)
reopening of the institution by the chairman of the board or the president; or (b)
until five o'clock on the third day (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal
holidays) following the day on which the chairman or the president closed the
institution.

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take
effect July 1, 1973.

Approved May 7, 1973.

CHAPTER 311
(House Bill 611)

AN ACT to add new Section 243(e) to Article 48A of the Annotated Code of
Maryland (1972 Supplement), title "Insurance Code," subtitle "Maryland
Automobile Insurance Fund," to follow immediately after Section 243(d)
thereof, to provide that [[if" an insured, previously covered in the Maryland
Automobile Insurance Plan, is transferred to a private company, the agent or
broker who originally placed the insured and is the producer of record shall
receive a commission not less than 10% of the premium upon such transfer.]]
As of January 1, 1973. if an insured, previously covered in the Maryland
Automobile Insurance Plan, is transferred to a private company, the agent or
broker who originally placed the insured with the same company and is the
producer of record shall receive a commission of 10% of the premiums upon the
first transfer or first renewal only if no other agent's or broker's commission is
paid. No commissions under this section shall be paid on future renewals.