Ch. 635

1997 LAWS OF MARYLAND

report system documents currently prepared by the Department of Legislative Reference
into one comprehensive, informative policy impact statement; and

(10) any other issue or recommendation that the Executive Director wishes to
bring to the attention of the Legislative Policy Committee, or that the President and the
Speaker instruct the Executive Director to report on.

SECTION 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That:

(a)     all property of any kind, including personal property, records, fixtures,
appropriations, credits, assets, liabilities, obligations, rights, and privileges, held by the
Department of Legislative Reference, the Department of Fiscal Services, and the Office
of Legislative Data Processing, or by any units of those agencies, shall be and hereby are
transferred to the Department of Legislative Services;

(b)     except as otherwise provided by law, all contracts, agreements, grants, or other
obligations entered into prior to July 1, 1997 by the Department of Legislative Reference,
the Department of Fiscal Services, or the Office of Legislative Data Processing, and
which by their terms are to continue in effect on or after July 1, 1997, shall be valid, legal,
and binding obligations of the Department of Legislative Services, or the appropriate unit
of the Department of Legislative Services, under the terms of the obligations; and

(c)     any transaction affected by any change of nomenclature under this Act, and
validly entered into before July 1, 1997, and every right, duty, or interest flowing from the
transaction, remains valid on and after July 1, 1997 as if the change of nomenclature had
not occurred.

SECTION 5. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That all employees who are
transferred to the Department of Legislative Services from the Department of Fiscal
Services, the Department of Legislative Reference, and the Office of Legislative Data
Processing upon the implementation of this Act shall be so transferred without
diminution of their rights, benefits, or employment or retirement status. It is the intent of
the General Assembly that any decrease in the number of positions resulting from the
reorganization provided in this Act shall be implemented by attrition and not by
separation of employees.

SECTION 6. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the personnel guidelines
adopted in 1983 by the Legislative Policy Committee, as revised in 1987, for the
Department of Fiscal Services and the Department of Legislative Reference shall remain
in force and effect until guidelines for the Department of Legislative Services are adopted
by the Legislative Policy Committee in accordance with § 2-1205 of the State Government
Article, as added by this Act.

SECTION 7. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the captions set out next
to each section designation in Section 2 of this Act are presented for informational
purposes only and are not intended to be part of the law.

SECTION 8. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the provisions of this Act
that create the position of Executive Director of the Department of Legislative Services
shall take effect June 1, 1997.

SECTION 9. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That any reference in the

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