Ch. 347                                    1996 LAWS OF MARYLAND

(3)     A credit under paragraph (2) of this subsection may be allowed only for
purposes of determining the standing of an applicant on a list of eligible candidates for
which the applicant otherwise is qualified.

(4)     An eligible veteran who has been placed on a list of eligible candidates
shall be certified for appointment, reemployment, or reinstatement, ahead of an applicant
who is not an eligible veteran and has the same or a lower score on the examination.

(5)     Except for a position as a fire fighter or police officer, the age limitation
for a position shall be waived for an eligible veteran who is less than 55 years old.

(6)     If an eligible veteran is convicted of a crime after being discharged from
or completing military service:

(i) the veteran is ineligible for any credit or preference under this
subsection; and

(ii) if the veteran is certified by the Secretary as eligible for
appointment to a position, the appointing authority may consider the conviction in
deciding whether to appoint the veteran to the position.

(c)     (1) The Secretary may provide by regulation that, on all examinations, credit
for experience and demonstrated efficiency be given to a classified service employee or
class of classified service employees competing for promotion to a higher class.

(2) A credit allowed an applicant under this subsection may not exceed 20%
of the applicant's total score.

(d)     (1) (i) In this subsection the following terms have the meanings indicated.

(ii) "Host county" means any county in which a qualified prison facility

is located.

(iii) "Adjacent county" means any county adjacent to a host county.

(iv) "Qualified prison facility" means any new State correctional
institution of 750 beds or more constructed for the Division of Correction of the
Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services on or after January 1, 1985.

(2) In a competitive examination for an initial appointment to any position
in a qualified prison facility, the Secretary shall allow five preference points to each
resident of the host county or an adjacent county if, in the most recent 12-month period
for which data is available as reported by the Maryland Department of Business and
Economic Development, that county had an average unemployment rate that is more
than one and one-half times the State unemployment rate as a whole.]

[4-206.

(a) (1) The Secretary is responsible for the conduct of all examinations.

(2) The Secretary:

(i) may designate any person, even if not a. State employee, as a
special examiner; and

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