Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1957-02-21


them on a check list, which had +
end of December and has grown
even larger since then.
The Check list was composed al
most exclusively of local legisla-
tive proposals, as distinguished
from Statewide bills. What has
become of them?
AT least three items on the
check list had, as of last Saturday,
already been signed into law by
the Governor. They included two
small items of tax relief for non.
profit rescue squads and the ia
nous bill to abolish the Board of
Homeopathic Medical Examiners,
which was ardently espoused by
medical groups here in Montgom-
cry County.
Five of Senator NorthrOp's
local bills had passed both
houses and were awaiting the
Governors signature. They in.
cluded salary and personnel in
creases in the States Attorneys
office, authority for supplement
tary salaries for secretaries of
Judges of the Court of Appeals
and the Circuit Court from
Montgomery County and a pO-
lice-spOnsOred bill authorizing
the appropriation of loose cash
found lying around the premi-
ses in raids on gambling joints.
Quite a batch of House bills are
in various stages of progress in
the Senate, as follows:
The school board staggered
term bill has passed second read.
ing in the Senate and is well on
its way.
Three County Council bills are
being processed by Senator North.
rep and are almost sure to pass.
They would authorize the Council
to regulate truck routes and speed
limits on up-county roads and
would modify the rules governing
prison labor on county roads.
Just received by Senator North
rop was the House-passed bill to
increase salaries of the Judges of
the Orphans Court, as approved
by the Bar Association.
Items 8, 10, IL, II and ii on
the check list were Police Depart
ment bills introduced in the
House. Item II, permitting ar.
rest on drunk and disorderly
charge in apartment house cor
ridors, and Item IA, classifying
switch blade knives as illegal con.
cealed weapons, have passed the
House and are in the Senate Judi.
cial Proceedings Committee.
Item 9, exempting Montgomery
County from the Bouse Act in or
der to facilitate gambling and lot
terry prosecutions, and Item II,
making housebreaking a felony
rather than a misdemeanor, were
still in the House Judiciary Com
mittee as of. last Saturday.
Item 10, requiring drivers to
give fun time and attention" to
the operation of their vehicles
tthis was lifted out of the D. C.
code) is in the Motor Vehicles
Committee and seems likely to
stay there. 1t was panned UNI
mercifully by the Baltimore Eve.
ming Sun. Frankly, / think it is
sort of silly too, and l do not in.
tend to press the Motor Vehicles
Committee for favorable action.
There are three Peoples Court
bills The first, which authorizes
the Court to adopt rules of proce-
dure and to permit counterclaims
and set-offs in tort actions, was
introduced in the House Friday.
The other two, establishing a
retirement pay plan and raising
the judges salaries to $4,000,
were beinb made ready to go in
the hopper Monday or Tuesday.
The proposal 10 raise the
Juvenile Court to Circuit Court
level seems to have little sup.
port and probably will not be
introduced at all.
The Sheriff's salary bill is pres.
emily stymied in the Delegation
but may shake loose.
The bill to provide tax ex
ennption for community swim
ming pools has been rewritten
five or six times but was about
ready for introduction last Satur.
day.
A bill TO raise little revenue
by raising the recordation tax
from IS cents TO S1.10 per $500
OF value was introduced last week
by Warren Browning and myself
and was referred to the Ways and
Means Committee. II would pro-
duce about S250,000, annually.
The measure TO allocate costs
OF moving sanitary facilities
by bodybuilding projects
has been temporarily stalled by
the Joint Montgomery-P Prince
Georges delegation to give the
Sanitary Commission and the two
counties one last chance to reach
a settlement on their own.
Seven of the Sanitary Commits.