2206                                      VETOES

This Bill changes the operation of the Department of Welfare in
granting assistance to an applicant if he has children who, by the
Department's income scale, are found to be able to support him.

At present, when an aged person applies for assistance, the In-
come Scale determines the ability of his children to support. If they
are found able to support the parent entirely, the application is re-
jected. If the ability to support is partial, this amount is deducted
from the parent's requirements according to the Department's stand-
ards, and the grant is for the difference. If there is failure by the
child to pay the determined amount, the parent makes the decision
whether or not he wishes to take his child into court to force him
to pay.

The Bill would change this procedure. The Department would
pay the full amount of the grant to the applicant, and would let him
know that the determination of the ability of his children to support
would be reported to the collection unit embodied in the State De-
partment of Mental Hygiene; and that if the collection unit could
not collect the exact amount reported to be within the ability of the
child to pay, the collection unit would need to take the child into
court for a decision regarding the child's contribution.

The Bill further relates the 24 local welfare departments to a col-
lection unit under the supervision and control of another State
agency (The State Department of Mental Hygiene). The State De-
partment of Public Welfare believes that this divided responsibility
would be very difficult for the public to understand, since the De-
partment would be working with the applicant for assistance and the
collection unit would be related to the children from whom they
would be required to collect.

Although I can sympathize with those who support the Bill, I feel
compelled to veto it for the reasons set forth above.

With kindest regards, I am

Sincerely yours,

(S) J. MILLARD TAWES,

Governor.
JMT/ECM/g/Encl

House Bill No. 217—Motor Vehicle Axle Loads

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 315 (h)
of Article 66½ of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition),
title "Motor Vehicles," subtitle "Operation of Vehicles Upon High-
ways," to permit suspension or reduction by trial magistrates of
penalties for violations of maximum axle loads for motor vehicles,
and relating generally to suspension or reduction of penalties for
maximum weight violations for vehicles.