Evening star., 1941-03-01
Budget Bills
Passage Next
Week Expected
Maryland Assembly
Has 700 Measures
With Il Days Left
t. the Associated Press.

f. the Associated Press.
ANNAPOLIS, March Assembly
leaders predicted today Gov. O'Con-
or's supplemental and slo6,664. 900
budget bills would be passed next
week.
Passage of the revenue measures
would remove obstacles to enact
ment of other appropriation bills
which, with other legislation, have
been tied up in committees.
Until budget legislation is passed,
final action cannot be taken on the
administrations $4,000,000 bond is
sue for capital improvements and
its legislation to permit the State to
purchase the Claiborne Annapolis
ferry.
700 Bills Await Action.
Fearing a last-minute legislative
Jam because of the many bills still
in committees, House leaders called
night and day sessions all next week
and the Senate leadership stood
ready to duplicate this move in the
near future.
A total of 834 bills have been in
troduced to date-501 in the House
and 333 in the Snate-but approx
mately 700 are still awaiting action.
There are only 81 legislative days
left.
The Senate Finance Committee
virtually has completed its study of
the budget, while the House Ways
and Means Committee is to meet in
special session at pm. Monday
six hours before the Legislature re-
convenes-to wind up its original
budget deliberations.
Quick Budget Action Expected.
Delegate John S. White, Ways
and Means Committee chairman,
said he expected Gov. O'Conor to
present his supplemental budget
early next week. He predicted final
action on both measures by next
week end.
The chairman said if the Gov
ernor presented his supplemental
budget Monday night his commit
tee would be ready to report out
the original budget that night.
Introduction yesterday of the ad-
miniStration's school salary equal
ization bill cleared the way for the
presentation of the supplemental
budget, which contains some of the
funds necessary to pay Negro teach
ers the same salaries as whites.
The school measure would in
crease the tax rate by 8 cents in
19 counties during the next year;
impose a special tax on half-mile
race tracks and dedicate surpluses
In education and liquor revenue
funds for the equalization.
New Assault on Hasty Marriages.
Presaging new legislative assault
on Elkton's "Quick-marriage" oper-
ations, Senator Wilmer Fell Davis.
Caroline County Republican, intro
duced legislation to strengthen the
existing "48-hour delay" law. His
bill would make it a felony for a
physician knowingly to falsify- a
certificate of pregnancy to expedite
issuance of marriage license at
Elkton.
The proposal followed disclosure
that the Cecil County Circuit Court
had waived the legal delay of 48
hours between application and issu-
ance of marriage licenses in 80 per
cent of the applications filed last
year. Many of these waivers were
granted on certificates of pregnancy
issued by physicians.
In contrast to Mr.. Davis efforts
to strengthen the present law, Dele
gate Fred Houck, Democrat, of Bal
timore proposed bill in the House
to abolish the 48-hour delay entirely.
Passage of Mr.. Houck's measure
would restore Elkton as one of the
Nations foremost Gretna Greens.
Diploma Bill Passed.
The Senate passed and sent to
the Governor a House bill to per-
nit issuance by the State Educa-
ton Department of certificates
equivalent to a high school diploma.
The certificates could be obtained
by passing examinations in high
school subjects which would be
given periodically by the Education
Department.
Senator Philip H. Dorsey of the
Senate Chesapeake Bay and Tribu-
taries Committee set the stage for
extended oyster debate when he re-
ported three bills out of his COM
mittee without recommendation"
He then moved, without dissent
ing vote, that all be made a special
other of business for Tuesday-pav-
ing the way for unrestricted debate.
Most controversial of the three
was a measure by Senator Elwood
Die, Republican, of Somerset to
open the Potomac River to oyster
handscrapers. Maryland watermen
on both sides of Chesapeake Bay
have taken sides on the bill.
Senator j. w Johnson's bill to
close an oyster bar known as Flag
Pond Rock" in Calvert County, ex-
cept to tongers, and another by Sen
ator Louis N. Phipps, Democrat, of
Anne Arundel, to prohibit dredg-
ing on Three Sisters and Hollands
Point bars, were the other measures
on which Mr.. Dorsey's committee re-
fused to act.
n