J. MILLARD TAWES, Governor                         177

then shall allocate to the credit of general funds of the State an amount
which, together with the payment to the county for that next pre-
ceding year, equals the total amount set for the board, care and
treatment of that patient for the next preceding year. Thereafter,
and so long as additional funds remain, the Department shall simi-
larly credit first the account of the county and then the account of
the State for the amount set for the board, care and treatment of the
patient for the second preceding year, and then for the third pre-
ceding year, and continuing in this manner until the monies received
in the current year for or on behalf of that patient are entirely
exhausted.

(d) (C) It shall be the duty of the Department of Mental Hygiene to
furnish to the county commissioners or county council of each county,
or the department of public welfare in Baltimore City, having pa-
tients in the State institutions under the jurisdiction of the Depart-
ment of Mental Hygiene a quarterly statement giving the number
of patients and the name of each patient coming from and charged
to such county, and the cost of maintenance due from each county for
such patient or patients.

(e) (D) The board of county commissioners or county council of
said county shall levy a tax in said county for said amount and pay the
amount due the State to the Department of Mental Hygiene; and,
should any county fail to levy a tax in said county for said amount
then due said State, and shall fail at the time of levying other county
taxes thereafter to levy the tax aforesaid to an amount sufficient to
pay the indebtedness subsequently incurred, it shall be the duty of
the Attorney General to bring in the name of the State an action
against any county in the circuit court of said county so failing afore-
said to enforce the levying of said tax for the recovery of the amount
due the State, as aforesaid. Upon the failure of any county to levy
such tax as aforesaid to an amount sufficient to pay the amount due
the State, it shall be the duty of the Department of Mental Hygiene
to charge such delinquent county with a penalty of interest at one
per centum per month upon the amount of indebtedness for each
month until payment thereof and penalty thereon be paid. It shall
be the duty of the county treasurer, upon the collection of the taxes
herein required to be levied, to pay to the Department of Mental
Hygiene the amount due and owing from his county quarterly on the
first day of January, April, July and October of each year.

(f) (E) All money collected by the Department of Mental Hygiene
from Baltimore City or the counties under this section shall be ac-
counted for and paid into the State treasury according to the pro-
cedures in effect for such accounting.

(g) (F) Whenever the superintendent of any State institution un-
der the jurisdiction of the Department of Mental Hygiene has held and
treated a patient as from one county, and the county commissioners
or county council of such county make claim that such patient is not
a proper charge against the said county, and such county commis-
sioners or county council shall notify the Department of Mental Hy-
giene that it is claimed by them that such patient is not a proper
charge against their county, and shall claim that the said patient is
a proper charge against some other county, it shall be the duty of
the county commissioners or county council of each of said counties
to file such proofs as they may have with the Department of Mental
Hygiene within thirty days from the time of such notification and