BLAIR LEE III, Acting Governor                            230 5

Preamble

The General Assembly declares that it is the policy of
this State that marriage is a union of two individuals
between a man and a woman having equal rights under the law.
Both spouses owe a duty to contribute his or her best
efforts to the marriage, and both, by entering into the
marriage, undertake to benefit both spouses and any children
they may have.

The General Assembly declares further that it is the
policy of this State that when a marriage is dissolved the
property interests of the spouses should be adjusted fairly
and equitably, with careful consideration being given to
both monetary and nonmonetary contributions made by the
respective spouses to the well—being of the family, and
further, that if there are minor children in the family
their interests must be given particular and favorable
attention.

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That section(s) of the Annotated Code of Maryland
be repealed, amended, or enacted to read as follows:

Article — courts and Judicial Proceedings

3-603.

(a)    A court of equity has jurisdiction in an action
for divorce, alimony, or annulment of marriage. The court
shall hear and determine a case of alimony in as full and
ample manner as such case could be heard and determined by
the ecclesiastical courts of England.

(b)    A court of equity sitting in an action for
divorce, alimony, or annulment [, in addition to exercising]
HAS all the powers of a court of equity, AND may issue an
injunction to protect any party to the action from physical
harm or harassment.

[(c) A court granting a limited or absolute divorce
may determine the ownership of personal property, other than
chattels real, held, possessed, or claimed by a party to the
divorce proceedings, and in accordance with that
determination may:

(1)    Make a division of personal property
between the parties;

(2)    Order a sale of personal property and a
division of proceeds; or

(3)    Make any other disposition of personal
property it deems proper.]

SUBTITLE 6A. PROPERTY DISPOSITION IN DIVORCE AND
ANNULMENT