In this subtitle, “executive order” means an order or an amendment or rescission of an order that, over the signature of the Governor: proclaims or ends a state of emergency or exercises the authority of the Governor during an emergency, under Title 14, Subtitle 3 of the Public Safety Article or any other provision of law; adopts guidelines, rules of conduct, or rules of procedure for: State employees; units of the State government; or persons who are under the jurisdiction of those employees or units or who deal with them; establishes a unit, including an advisory unit, study unit, or task force; or changes the organization of the Executive Branch of the State government.

An executive order that amends another executive order shall show each addition or deletion in the manner shown in a bill in the General Assembly.

An executive order has the effective date set in the executive order.

Upon issuance of an executive order, the Governor shall deliver the original or a certified copy of it to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State shall: index the executive orders that the Governor delivers under this section; keep each executive order during the term of office of the Governor who delivered the executive order, including a consecutive term; and then deliver the executive order to the State Archives.

Within 10 days after the Governor delivers an executive order to the Secretary of State, the Secretary shall deliver 2 copies of the executive order to the Executive Director of the Department of Legislative Services. The Secretary of State shall deliver 1 certified copy of each executive order to the Administrator of the Division of State Documents.

The publisher of the Code of Public General Laws shall codify each executive order that is issued in statutory form under Article II, § 24 of the Maryland Constitution, as statutes are codified. The Executive Director of the Department of Legislative Services shall publish all other executive orders and all proclamations that are required to be published. The Executive Director shall: to the extent possible, arrange each of these executive orders or proclamations by the article of the Code to which the executive order or proclamation relates; and publish these executive orders and proclamations in a volume. The Executive Director is not required to publish any executive order that has been rescinded or has expired. The Executive Director shall establish a procedure to remove from the Code an executive order or proclamation that has been rescinded or has expired.