MARVIN MANDEL, Governor

3049

If, by reason of any military or warlike
catastrophe, a majority of the members of any board of
county commissioners OR COUNTY COUNCIL OR MAYOR AND CITY
COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE CITY are killed, or are sick,
incapacitated, missing, or otherwise unavailable for
either a temporary or an indefinite period, the Governor
may exercise any of the administrative and executive
powers provided by law for that board of county
commissioners OR THAT COUNTY COUNCIL, until such time as
a number of county commissioners OR COUNCILMEN sufficient
to operate the county government are appointed and
qualify. The powers provided in this section exist and
may be exercised only during the effective period of an
official proclamation by the Governor, declaring a
portion or all of the county to be within a civil defense
emergency or disaster area, actual or threatened.

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That new
Sections 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D be and they are hereby added
to Article 16A — Civil Defense, of the Annotated Code of
Maryland (1973 Replacement Volume and 1974 Supplement) to
read as follows:

Article 16A — Civil Defense

6 A.

A STATE OF EMERGENCY SHALL BE DECLARED BY EXECUTIVE
ORDER OR PROCLAMATION OF THE GOVERNOR IF HE FINDS THAT AN
EMERGENCY HAS DEVELOPED OR IS IMPENDING FOR ANY CAUSE
WHATSOEVER. THE STATE OF EMERGENCY SHALL CONTINUE UNTIL
THE GOVERNOR FINDS THAT THE THREAT OR DANGER HAS PASSED
OR THE EMERGENCY HAS BEEN DEALT WITH TO THE EXTENT THAT
EMERGENCY CONDITIONS NO LONGER EXIST AND TERMINATES THE
STATE OF EMERGENCY BY EXECUTIVE ORDER OR PROCLAMATION.

NO STATE OF EMERGENCY MAY CONTINUE FOR LONGER THAN
30 DAYS UNLESS RENEWED BY THE GOVERNOR. THE GENERAL
ASSEMBLY BY JOINT RESOLUTION MAY TERMINATE A STATE OF
EMERGENCY AT ANY TIME. THEREUPON, THE GOVERNOR SHALL
ISSUE AN EXECUTIVE ORDER OR PROCLAMATION ENDING THE STATE
OF EMERGENCY. ALL EXECUTIVE ORDERS OR PROCLAMATIONS
ISSUED UNDER THIS SUBSECTION SHALL INDICATE THE NATURE OF
THE EMERGENCY, THE AREA OR AREAS THREATENED, AND THE
CONDITIONS WHICH HAVE BROUGHT IT ABOUT OR WHICH MAKE
POSSIBLE TERMINATION OF THE STATE OF EMERGENCY. AN
EXECUTIVE ORDER OR PROCLAMATION SHALL BE DISSEMINATED
PROMPTLY BY MEANS CALCULATED TO BRING ITS CONTENTS TO THE
ATTENTION OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND, UNLESS THE
CIRCUMSTANCES ATTENDANT UPON THE EMERGENCY PREVENT OR
IMPEDE, PROMPTLY PILED WITH THE STATE CIVIL DEFENSE AND
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AGENCY, THE HALL OF RECORDS, AND
THE LOCAL RECORDS-KEEPING AGENCY IN THE AREA TO WHICH IT