The breakdown is: 52. 9 per cent for public education, 20. 5 per cent
for health and 10. 7 per cent for public welfare. I did not realize
it at the time, but in checking back over the speech I made to the
legislature two years ago, I find I made the same observation in almost
identical language.
This, verbatim, is what I said in January, 1963:
"Roughly speaking, 84 per cent of all monies allocated in the general
fund go to education, health and public welfare. "
And so you see, this pattern has continued, and is continuing, with
some 85 per cent of the total general fund budget going for these
services which intimately affect the lives of all the people—education,
health and welfare, and some 15 per cent going to all the other
services which the State government provides for the people of Mary-
land. It reflects policy which I have adhered to which, with normal
growth and expansion and without innovations, means increased ex-
penditures.
I believe it is evident, from the record, that we have made sub-
stantial improvements in our education, health and welfare programs
during the past few years. Last year we changed the formula and
increased the amount of assistance by the State to local government
for the operation of their public schools, resulting, among other things,
in substantial increases in the salaries of Maryland school teachers.
The same can be said of our program to assist the poor, the needy,
the orphans, the handicapped and of our program to provide better
health for our citizens, including improvements in the care and treat-
ment of the mentally ill and the mentally retarded.
I would point out, before closing another interesting, and I think
significant, fact about the budget which I have proposed for fiscal
1966. Not only in the total amount of appropriations, but also in
the percentage of increase, is the budget preponderantly a budget for
education, health and welfare. In the net general fund increase of
$22. 6 million over the present fiscal year (fiscal 1965), 82. 5 per cent
is applied to the State's education, health and welfare needs.
The breakdown here in percentages (and remember this has to do
with the increases over the current budget) is: 26. 3 for educational
and related purposes, 28. 4 for health and hospitals and 29. 1 for
public welfare, including training schools and camps.
As I have stated, I think these are significant facts and show that
your State government is vitally interested in providing for these es-
sentially human needs of its citizens.
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