EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS

Between 1969 and 1972, the General Assem-
bly created twelve principal departments that
combined by function the several hundred agen-
cies, boards, and commissions then comprising
the Executive Branch of the State government.
These twelve departments are: Agriculture, Bud-
get and Fiscal Planning, Economic and Com-
munity Development, General Services, Health
and Mental Hygiene, Human Resources (for-
merly Employment and Social Services), Licens-
ing and Regulation, Natural Resources, Person-
nel, Public Safety and Correctional Services,
State Planning, and Transportation. A number
of agencies were not assigned to a department
but have remained independent because of their
function.

The head of each Department is the Secretary,
who is appointed by the Governor and is sub-
ject to Senate confirmation. Each Secretary
serves at the Governor's pleasure and is a mem-
ber of his cabinet. Each Secretary carries out
the Governor's policies regarding the particular
Department and is responsible for the Depart-
ment's operation. The Secretary is also responsi-
ble for the Department's budget, the promulga-
tion of rules and regulations, planning activities,
and the appointment of the required advisory
boards. The salary of each Secretary is $45,900
per year, except for the Secretary of Transporta-
tion who receives $50,000.

With the approval of the Governor, each Sec-
retary appoints a Deputy Secretary who has
duties prescribed by law or delegated by the
Secretary. The Deputy Secretary serves at the
pleasure of the Secretary and receives a salary
of $39,300 a year, except for the Deputy Secre-
tary of Transportation who receives $43,800.
Each Department has a Deputy Secretary, ex-
cept for the Department of Public Safety and
Correctional Services, which has two Deputy
Secretaries.

A Department may also have an Assistant Sec-
retary who is appointed by the Secretary. Each
Assistant Secretary has duties as may be assigned
by law. The Secretary also has such staff
assistants, professional consultants, and
employees as provided in the budget. These
assistants and consultants serve at the pleasure of
the Secretary, but other employees are under the
merit system. The appointment or removal of
personnel by agencies within the Department is
generally subject to the approval of the Secretary,
who may delegate this responsibility to agency
heads.

in several of the departments, wnen
appointments are to be made by the Secretary
with the approval of the Governor, the appointee
serves at the Secretary's pleasure. The Secretary
may not, however, remove the appointee without
the Governor's approval.

The Secretary may create advisory boards and
determine their size, composition, and purposes.
Each Secretary has a seal for his office.

The Attorney General is the legal advisor to
each Department and assigns Assistant Attorneys
General to each. In the Department, one Assis-
tant Attorney General is designated as Counsel
to the Department to render legal aid, advice,
and counsel as required by the Secretary and the
Department.

Each act establishing a department listed the
agencies, boards and commissions, and other
units contained in the new department. The act
also stated that the department might be
expanded to include other agencies or units as
provided by law.

Chapter 415, Acts of 1970, permitted the exec-
utive reorganization program to be adapted to
changing needs and programs by giving the Gov-
ernor the authority to assign agencies that are not
included in a department to one of the principal
departments, either at the time the department
was created or thereafter. Non-statutory commis-
sions may be placed in the appropriate cabinet
department by executive order.

Chapter 77, Acts of 1969, established the first
of these cabinet-level departments with the cre-
ation of the Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene. This department consolidated into a sin-
gle organization all agencies concerned with
health and the licensing and regulation of health
professions and occupations.

Chapter 78, Acts of 1969, created the Depart-
ment of Budget and Fiscal Planning to supersede
the former Department of Budget and Procure-
ment, the Governor's agency for the analysis of
the revenue structure of the State and the prepa-
ration of his budget.

Chapter 154, Acts of 1969, consolidated all
conservation and natural resources agencies into a
single Natural Resources Department.

Chapter 155, Acts of 1969, transferred the
planning functions to a new Department of State
Planning to act as the Governor's staff agency in
planning matters and to develop a program to