STATE OF THE STATE MESSAGE 631

General Assembly authorized the construction of community mental
health centers as the best means to relieve congestion in our mental
hospitals, provide extensive services and prevent unnecessary, self-
defeating institutionalization for the mentally ill. Due to the lack of
sufficient funding, this has been largely a paper program.

I shall propose legislation designed to bring the community mental
health concept to life; a self-financing plan to develop these facilities
throughout Maryland without delay. Insufficient funds have caused
insufficient services to Maryland's mentally ill and for the one out
of every 37 citizens who is afflicted by chronic alcoholism. Through a
moderate increase in the amount charged subdivisions for indigent
resident care in State mental hospitals, and a minimal across-the-
board increase in the State's alcoholic beverage tax rates, we can
finance effective community mental health programs. By combining
a model alcoholism treatment and control program with the inten-
sified community mental health effort, we may furnish enough revenue
to provide sufficient services.

Across the nation, the overriding domestic problem of today is the
problem of our cities. In Maryland, urban problems are not totally
confined to Baltimore City. We have seen the symptoms of discontent
flare up in Cambridge and we know much needs to be done in other
communities throughout our State. However, when we talk of hard-
core impaction and poverty, of traffic congestion and air pollution, we
are talking about Baltimore. During the 1968 session of the General
Assembly, Baltimore's urgent problems will be ever before us.

Urban problems can be broadly delineated as structural and social.
Structural problems such as traffic congestion, blight and insufficient
revenue for vital capital expenditures are the easier to resolve since
technical solutions do exist and the major obstacle is economic ability
or feasibility.

Prominent among the administration's proposals to alleviate
structural problems in Baltimore City is the request for legislative ap-
proval of a Regional Mass Transit Authority to plan, construct, fi-
nance and operate a rapid rail system. It is also my hope that agree-
ment can be reached on the State's acquisition of Friendship Airport.
Capitalization to construct the airport placed a tremendous burden
on the City, and Baltimore's current fiscal problems make necessary
rapid expansion to compete for the superjets impossible. State acquisi-
tion can simultaneously relieve the City's capital burden and assure
vital airport development.