5176

VETOES

woman in a pre-natal care program - thus assuring that the
pregnant woman will in fact receive needed pre-natal
nutritional and health care. Benefits flowing under House
Bill 1596 together with Food Stamps and Medicaid would
substantially fill the gap in income assistance (created by
passage of the Omnibus Reconciliation Act) during the first
5 months of pregnancy.

It is my view that, given the uncertainties with
respect to implementation of Senate Bill 926 as well as its
greater fiscal impact, the more reasonable approach to
solving this problem is to sigh House Bill 1596. The budget
enacted by the General Assembly for Fiscal Year 1983,
beginning July 1, 1982, does not include funding to
implement either of these bills. In signing House Bill
1596, however, I have directed the Department of Human
Resources to begin extending these benefits effective July
1, 1982 by utilizing existing appropriations where possible.

Implementation of House Bill 1596 effective July 1,
1982 is consistent with this Administration's steadfast
commitment both to alleviate the harshest impacts of the
massive federal cutbacks in funds under the Omnibus
Reconciliation Act and to improve the level of Maryland's
income assistance programs. The General Assembly supported
my proposals for 9% increases in AFDC and General Public
Assistance benefits in the budget just enacted. Over the
past 4 years we have increased AFDC benefits by a total of
30%, including the two largest single year increases in the
State's history.

Moreover the budget also includes several other major
fiscal commitments targeted at low-income families. These
include: raising the AFDC "standard of need" in order to
restore AFDC benefits lost by the working poor; expansion of
day care, child abuse and foster care and adoption programs;
expansion of services to the elderly and to the mentally
retarded and mentally ill; and State funding to "hold
harmless" many other vital human services programs from the
federal funding cutbacks. Few if any states have made such
a strong, sustained effort to mitigate the plight of the
poor and vulnerable in the face of federal retrenchment.

I commend the sponsors and supporters of both Senate
Bill 926 and House Bill 1596 for recognizing the need for
the State to assist low-income pregnant women, particularly
during the first 5 months of pregnancy when the Omnibus
Reconciliation Act leaves them without any cash assistance.
With the signing of House Bill 1596, we will have assumed
responsibility to help pregnant women to better meet their
essential needs during this critical pre-natal period.

Sincerely,