200 ADDRESSES AND STATE PAPERS

Another important provision of the bill, which was introduced by
Senators Hughes and James and which passed both houses with over-
whelming support, provides incentive for improvement in methods
of sewage treatment. When a community receives a grant offer from
the Federal Government to demonstrate some new and improved
method of treating municipal sewage, the State will share the remain-
ing cost of the demonstration project with the community. Thus, we
are not only stimulating the construction of time proven sewage treat-
ment plants, but we are also assisting in a Federal-State-local effort to
improve sewage treatment processes.

I am pleased to sign this important legislation.

STATEMENT ON SIGNING HOUSE BILL 65
(DRIVER EDUCATION ACT)

May 4, 1967

This legislation defers for one year the 1966 act that was to have
made driver education mandatory as a condition for obtaining a
driver's license under age 18. It was made necessary because our school
system was not ready to hire the extra instructors and obtain the
necessary equipment to put the program, which is now voluntary,
into effect by this spring. Hundreds of our young people would have
been denied licenses this year through no fault of their own had this
legislation not been enacted.

I would like to make it clear in approving this one-year extension,
until next April 1, that I expect the Maryland school system to be
prepared to meet the requirements of the act. The Fiscal Reform Pro-
gram enacted by the 1967 General Assembly included some f 70 million
in additional State aid to local governments for educational purposes.
Therefore, there should be no lack of funds for the program, as was
cited this year.

In delaying the act for a year we have further strengthened the
program by requiring six hours of behind-the-wheel practice driving,
which was not mandated by the 1966 legislation, and we have made
thirty hours of classroom instruction the minimum required, not the
maximum as was provided in the 1966 act.