Chap. 471.—An ACT to acquire the laboratory and machige shop equipment of
Charles F. Thompson that is used in confection with the invention, maintenance
and operation of methods and apparatus for electrical voting systems now in use
in the Senate and House of Delegates of the General Assembly; to acquire the
usage rights in all improvements and inventions, and a license to use all future
roll call system patents; to contract with said Thompson for the systems’ main-
tenance, improvement and operation; to allow said Thompson the use of the
shop room and tools, machinery, etc. and give him title to certain materials and
cH. 471] ACTS OF ASSEMBLY 747

parts left over from the construction of the Senate and House: systems; to
empower the Attorney General to make the necessary contracts in behalf of the
State with said Thompson, and to appropriate the sum of twenty thousand
dollars to carry out provisions of this Act. [S B 260]

Approved April 6, 1942

Whereas, pursuant to the provisions of chapter three hundred and
three of the Acts of the General Assembly of the Session of nineteen
hundred and thirty-six, Charles F. Thompson has heretofore complied
with certain obligations imposed on him by said Act and has granted to
the Commonwealth of Virginia the license required therein ; and

Whereas, official delivery has not yet been made to Charles F.
Thompson of all dies, tools, molds, jigs and drawings, as specified by said
chapter of the Acts; nor have certain machines been delivered to him
which he claims under said chapter ; although said Thompson has been in
control of said equipment at all times and all of said property, together
with other machine shop equipment personally owned by said Thompson
outside of the scope of said chapter, has been and still is located in Room
number nine, State Office Building, or in the hands of various die-
makers ; and

Whereas, it is desired and expedient for the Commonwealth to
acquire undisputed ownership of all of the above mentioned equipment
of every kind and description that is necessary to the maintenance, pro-
duction or reproduction of the roll call systems, whether owned or
claimed by said Thompson; and to acquire also an additional license, free
of all royalty, to make and use all future inventions and patents of said
Thompson or his assigns on roll call devices, and to contract with said
Thompson for the maintenance of the House and Senate roll call systems,
so they will be at all times kept in efficient working condition for the
Legislature and supplied from time to time with all improvements de-
veloped ; now, therefore,

1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia, That the
Attorney General, for and on behalf of the Commonwealth of Virginia,
be and he is hereby authorized and directed to enter into one or more
written contracts with said Thompson, as follows:

(a) That the Commonwealth acquire all machine shop equipment
of Charles F. Thompson, owned or claimed. by him under chapter three
hundred and three of the Acts of nineteen hundred and thirty-six, or
otherwise owned by him, and acquire also from said Thompson and his
assigns a license free of all royalty to use his or their future improvements,
inventions and patents on roll call devices or systems at a cost not ex-
ceeding twenty thousand dollars, to be disbursed by the Attorney General
upon execution of a suitable contract drawn by him for acquiring said
machinery and license.

b) That the Commonwealth also enter into a maintenance contract
with Charles F. Thompson at not exceeding four thousand dollars per
annum, in which said Thompson shall receive title to such raw materials
and spare parts as are now left over from the construction of the new
Virginia roll call systems, and commencing March one, nineteen hundred
748 ACTS OF ASSEMBLY [va., 1942

and forty-two, said Thompson shall maintain both the Senate and House
roll call systems under said maintenance contract, (instead of under the
relationship of employee). This maintenance contract shall continue in
force from March one, nineteen hundred and forty-two, for a minimum
period of fifteen years, provided said Thompson or his assigns shall
comply with all of the obligations imposed upon them by this Act. Said
Thompson shall furnish and install at his cost, except as herein provided,
roll call cards, repairs, replacements, all improvements and substitute
systems developed during the life of the maintenance contract; but that
said Thompson shall not be responsible for, or required to repair without
cost the source of power, which is a motor-generator, or any malicious
damage to the Senate and House roll call systems, or damages to the two
systems caused by Act of God, war, fire, water, sabotage, theft or tamper-
ing, and in these specified cases the Commonwealth shall bear the actual
cost of repairs which shall be performed by said Thompson without profit.

2. Charles F. Thompson, employees or assigns, shall have the right
of control and use of all the machine shop equipment acquired by the
Commonwealth under this Act, so that he or they may, in addition to
maintaining the Virginia roll call systems, use the said shop equipment
and the premises where it is installed during the life of the contract for
the construction and maintenance of other roll call systems, and shall be
subject only to such inspection of said premises and equipment therein as
may be directed from time to time by the Governor of Virginia.

3. Said shop equipment and all property of every kind and descrip-
tion that is acquired by the Commonwealth under the terms of this Act
and that is necessary to the production or reproduction of the roll call
systems, which is at present, except for certain dies, located in Room
number nine, State Office Building, shall remain therein, or if moved,
shall be moved to a suitable location on real property of the Common-
wealth. Said equipment shall be kept in efficient workable condition by
Thompson, and supplied at all times by the Commonwealth with the
necessary facilities for operation, and shall not be used by the State nor
by Thompson for any other purpose, than the production, reproduction,
and maintenance of roll call systems.

4. The purpose of this Act is to protect the Commonwealth of
Virginia, without restricting the rights of Charles F. Thompson in any
manner whatsoever. Nothing in this Act shall deprive said Thompson,
his employees or assigns, of the right he now enjoys to purchase parts
made from the dies and molds now in the hands of various diemakers,
at any time in the future while said dies and molds exist, without payment
of royalty of any kind to the Commonwealth.

There is hereby appropriated out of the General Fund of the
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of twenty thousand
dollars ($20,000.00) or so much thereof as may be necessary, to carry
into effect the contract provisions concerning the purchase of all machine
shop equipment owned or claimed by Charles F. Thompson and the
securing of a license from him to all future patents as provided for

erein.
6. An emergency existing, this Act shall be in effect from its pas-
sage.
cus. 472, 473] ACTS OF ASSEMBLY 749