2712

LAWS OF MARYLAND

Ch. 775

(2) County, city,        school or conservation

districts, or other governmental   units or districts that let

public bids for construction      or other public works under
Maryland law.

[(e)] (D) "Steel products" means products rolled,
formed, shaped, drawn, extruded, forged, cast, fabricated,
or otherwise similarly processed, or processed by a
combination of two or more of Such operations, from steel
made in the United States by the Open hearth, basic oxygen,
electric furnace, Bessemer, or other steel making process.

[(f)] (E) "United States" means the United States of
America and includes all territory, continental or insular,
subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

[70.] 8-702.

(a)  Each public agency shall require that every
contract advertised for bid OR PROPOSAL for the
construction[, reconstruction, alteration, repair,
improvement,] or maintenance of public works shall require
use or supply of steel products only as defined by this
subtitle in the performance of the contract or any of the
subcontracts, unless the head of the public agency
determines in writing that the cost of steel products is
unreasonable or inconsistent with the public interest.

(b)  The [head of each public agency] DEPARTMENT shall
issue rules which provide that, for purposes of subsection
(a) of this section, the bid or offered price of any steel
products of domestic origin is not unreasonable if it does
not exceed the sum of:

(1)  The bid or offered price of like steel
products of foreign origin (including any applicable duty);
plus

(2)  A differential of 20 percent of the bid or
offered price of the steel products of foreign origin.
However, if the steel products are produced in a
"substantial labor surplus area" as defined by the United
States Department of Labor, the differential applied under
this paragraph shall be 30 percent.

[71.] 8-703.

A public agency may not authorize or make any payments
to a person under a contract containing a provision required
by § [70] 8-702 of this subtitle unless the public agency is
satisfied that the person has fully complied with the
provision. Payments made to person by a public agency
which should not have been made as a result of this section
shall be recoverable to the full extent of the contract by
the Attorney General directly from the person who did not
comply with § [70] 8-702 upon a suit filed in the circuit
court of the county or Baltimore City court with law and