THEODORE R. MCKELDIN, GOVERNOR                     21

sections of this Article to any of the institutions mentioned therein
or received by the Rosewood State Training School,] and also the
financial conditions of their relatives or other persons legally
chargeable with their maintenance and support, in order to deter-
mine, in each case, the ability of any such person, or of his or
her relatives or other persons legally chargeable with his or her
maintenance or support, to make payment, in whole or in part, for
the maintenance and support of such person while an inmate of any
such institution. In making such investigation, the Department of
Mental Hygiene [the County Commissioners and the Department of
Welfare of Baltimore City] shall require reports of statements to be
made to them by such relatives or other persons upon such forms as
may be prepared by the Department of Mental Hygiene. [If the
County Commissioners or the Department of Welfare of Baltimore
City, as the case may be, shall determine that such person shall be
required to pay for his or her maintenance and support while in such
institution, or that his or her relatives or other persons legally
chargeable with his or her maintenance and support shall be required
to pay for the same, then, before any such person shall be admitted
into such institution, they] The Department of Mental Hygiene shall
make and issue an order [to that effect, and shall specify] specifying
therein the amount of such payments so to be made, and the times
when the same are to be made, and shall have the power to require
the relatives of any such person or others legally chargeable with his
or her maintenance and support, to enter into appropriate and bind-
ing agreements with respect to the making of such payments, and
from time to time may modify or change the terms thereof, as
circumstances may justify. In arriving at the amount to be paid, the
Department shall have due regard for the financial means or abilities
of the patient or the person or persons legally responsible for such
patient's maintenance and support and ivhenever deemed necessary,
may agree to accept a periodic sum for such patient's maintenance
less than the per capita cost. Upon failure of a patient or other legally
responsible person to make payment or enter into an agreement to
make payment, the Department of Mental Hygiene shall notify the
Attorney General and he shall institute proceedings on behalf of the
Department for collection thereof, with authority to make adjust-
ments or settlements of said claims as he feels to be in the best interest
of the State.

(b) All such payments shall be made to and collected by the
[County Treasurer or the Comptroller of the City of Baltimore, as
the case may be, who shall account for and pay over the same to the
State Treasurer on or before the first days of January, April, July
and October in each and every year, and at the same time they shall
report to the State Treasurer the name of each inmate on whose
behalf such payments have been made, and the name of the institu-
tion in which he or she is confined; and the amount of such payments
in excess of the sum of One Hundred and Twenty-five Dollars
($125,00), provided by Section 44 of this Article, shall be paid to the
State Treasurer and nothing contained in Sections 4, 5 and 6 shall be
construed to affect in any way the obligation imposed by said Sec-
tion 44 of this Article.] Department of Mental Hygiene, and shall be
accounted for and paid into the general funds of the State Treasury
by the said department according to the procedure in effect for such
accounting.