SPIRO T. AGNEW, Governor                      1053

(b)  These funds shall be used by the State Department of Health
solely for the purpose of supplementing the State general funds ap-
propriated for hospital care so that payments for hospital service
rendered to indigent and medically indigent patients will be made at
full current cost [as determined by the step-down accounting method
in conjunction with the ratio of charge to cost procedures as recom-
mended by the Maryland Legislative Council's committee on taxation
and fiscal matters].

(c)   Such federal funds as may be received by the State, as reim-
bursement for payments for hospital care, shall be accounted for in
such a way that the respective political subdivisions and the State
receive the pro rata benefit of such federal funds, to the extent that
such federal funds are not needed to defray 20% of the cost of
hospital care.

(d)  [In order to participate in this program, each county and
Baltimore City is authorized and required to levy such taxes as are
necessary to provide for the payments required by this subsection.]

Each county and Baltimore City is authorized and required to levy

such taxes as are necessary to provide for the payments required
by this subsection.

(f) The payment by any county or Baltimore City to the State
Department of Health of the sum specified in this section, plus any
supplementation of this sum by any State or federal funds, shall be
treated and considered up to the particular aggregate amount as
compliance with any public local law for that county or Baltimore
City which requires or permits the county or city to pay monies to a
hospital or hospitals. The amount of any such payment under this
section, together with its supplementation, shall be deducted from
any payment or payments otherwise payable under the public local
laws for the county or Baltimore City. If the payment of the sum
specified in this section plus the supplementation therefor is less
than the total obligation of the county or Baltimore City under its
public local laws, the amount of difference shall be paid over by the
county or city to the hospital or hospitals, in substantially the same
ratio as that required in the public local laws. If the payment of the
sum specified in this section plus the supplementation therefor ex-
ceeds the total obligation of the county or city under its public local
laws, the obligation of the county or city under its public local laws
is satisfied and extinguished.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
July 1, 1968.

Approved May 7, 1968.

CHAPTER 556
(Senate Bill 427)

AN ACT to add new Section 139½ to Article 27 of the Annotated
Code of Maryland (1967 Replacement Volume), title "Crimes and
Punishments," subtitle "Escaping from Penitentiary," to follow
immediately after Section 139 thereof, and to add new Section 21A