WM. PRESTON LANE, JR., GOVERNOR. 1729

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Mary-
land, That Sections 3B, 12 and 13 of Article 88A of the Anno-
tated Code of Maryland (1943 Supplement), title "State De-
partment of Public Welfare", sub-title "Board of Welfare", be
and they are hereby repealed and re-enacted, with amend-
ments, to read as follows:

3B. (a) It shall be the duty of the attorney to the County
Commissioners of each of the several counties of the State, or
an attorney to be designated by the County Commissioners, to
institute and defend all civil cases in which any county welfare
board is an interested party. All such suits shall be instituted
in the name of the welfare board of such county.

(b) Whenever such attorneys institute suit for the recovery,
from the estate of a recipient of any type of public assistance,
of the amount paid to such recipient during his lifetime, or
whenever such attorneys institute suit for the recovery, from
a recipient of any type of public assistance, of the amount paid
to such recipient prior to his coming into possession of any
property or income in excess of the amount stated in his ap-
plication for assistance and in excess of his need, such attor-
neys may be allowed such fees for their services as may be fixed
by the court, and the amount of such fees allowed by the court
shall be deducted from the gross amount of the recovery in
each case, and the net amount of the recovery turned over to
the county welfare board to be divided between the State, the
county, and the Federal Government in proportion to the
amount paid by each respectively.

(c) For such other legal services as are required of such
attorneys on behalf of county welfare boards and not pro-
vided for otherwise, they shall be paid such fees as may be
established, from time to time, by the State Department, the
cost thereof to be borne from regular administrative funds.

12. (a) The State Department of Public Welfare shall be
empowered to create or continue in each county a County Wel-
fare Board to be known as such with the name of the county
prefixed thereto, which Board shall be an administrative de-
partment of the local government. Such Boards shall have
authority to administer Aid to Dependent Children, Old Age
Assistance, Public Assistance to the Needy Blind and General
Public Assistance, Child Welfare Services, the investigation
and certification of persons eligible for employment on local,
State or Federal projects, or to administer any other program
in the field of public welfare, and such Boards shall have au-
thority to administer, handle and distribute commodities in

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