5301
MONTGOMERY COUNTY

make such investigation as the Executive Director deems
appropriate to ascertain facts and issues, in making
such investigations and determinations the Executive
Director pay use the authority granted to the office in
section 11-2 of this chapter. Whenever appropriate, the
Executive Director shall refer a complaint to the
Maryland State Seal Estate Commission, the State Consumer
Protection Division of the State Attorney General's
Office or to the Federal Trade Commission. If the
Executive Director determines that there are reasonable
grounds to believe a violation has occurred, the
Executive Director shall attempt to conciliate the matter
by methods of initial conference and persuasion with all
interested parties and such representatives as the
parties may choose to assist them. In attempting such
conciliation to assist a complaining consumer in
resolving the consumer's individual dispute, the
Executive Director may utilize the good offices of the
Advisory Committee on Consumer Affairs. Conciliation
conferences shall be informal, and nothing said or done
during such initial conferences shall be made public by
the Office, the Committee or its members unless the
parties agree thereto in writing.

Sec. 5. Severability.

The provisions of this Chapter are severable and if
any provision, sentence, clause, section or part thereof
is held illegal, invalid or unconstitutional or
inapplicable to any person or circumstance, such
illegality, invalidity, unconstitutionality or
inapplicability shall not affect or impair any of the
remaining provisions, sentences, clauses, sections or
parts of the Chapter or their application to other
persons and circumstances. It is hereby declared to be
the legislative intent that this Chapter would have been
adopted if such illegal, invalid or unconstitutional
provision, sentence, clause, section or part had not been
included therein, and if the person or circumstances to
which the chapter or any part thereof is inapplicable had
been specifically exempted therefrom.

Sec. 6. Effective date.

This Act shall take effect on the 76th day following
the date on which it becomes law.

Approved October 15, 1973

Chapter 14