2190

LAWS OF MARYLAND

Ch. 296

As originally enacted by Ch. 637, Acts of 1916, former
Article 27, §§ 104 through 110 (Destitute Parents) provided for
imprisonment not exceeding 1 year, a fine not exceeding $500, or
both. In addition to or instead of those penalties, the court
could order the accused adult child to pay to the parent a
certain sum weekly for 2 years. The accused adult child could be
released on probation with a recognizance. By Ch. 675, Acts of
1939, former Article 27, §§ 104 through 110 were repealed and
reenacted in their present form, removing the "in addition to or
instead of" language, removing the 2-year limit, and adding the
provision for bond. By Ch. 113, Acts of 1947, former Article 27,
§§ 97 through 103 (Destitute Adult Children) was enacted,
paralleling the 1939 legislation.

The Commission to Revise the Annotated Code calls the
attention of the General Assembly to Title 10, Subtitle 2 of this
article, which sets forth penalties for nonsupport of a spouse or
child. The General Assembly may wish to conform the provisions
of this title to the provisions of Title 10, Subtitle 2 of this
article.

GENERAL REVISOR'S NOTE TO ARTICLE:

Structure of the article:

In organizing this article, the Commission to Revise the
Annotated Code included former provisions of the Code relating to
family law, and arranged the provisions essentially
chronologically, beginning with marriage and ending with support
of adult children and parents. This article replaces former
Articles 45, 62, 72A, and 89C of the Code, in their entirety. It
also replaces certain provisions related to family law that
formerly appeared in Articles 16, 17, 27, and 88A of the Code and
in the Courts Article.

Departmental organization and positions:

Throughout the article, current references to departments,
units, and positions are substituted for obsolete references to
entities that have been abolished or renamed.

Clarified divorce terminology:

An objective of the Code revision process is to use the
simplest possible language consistent with legal precision. Two
notable Latin phrases formerly used to modify "divorce", "a
vinculo matrimonii" and "a mensa et thoro", therefore, are
revised as "absolute" and "limited", respectively, throughout
this article.

Constitutional issues:

The Commission to Revise the Annotated Code encountered
several constitutional questions in preparing this article.