1596                            JOINT RESOLUTIONS

Resolved, That the Secretary of State of Maryland is directed
under the Great Seal of Maryland to send copies of this Joint Reso-
lution to each member of the Maryland Delegation in the Congress
of the United States and the Chairman of the Committee on Public
Works in the House of Representatives of the United States; and be
it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of State of Maryland also is directed
under the Great Seal of the State of Maryland to send copies of this
Joint Resolution to the presiding officer in each House of every Gen-
eral Assembly or State Legislature in the other states of the Union.

Approved May 7, 1968.

No. 25

(Senate Joint Resolution 27)

Senate Joint Resolution requesting the Governor to establish an
interdepartmental council on the handicapped to act as a co-
ordinating committee of State agencies concerned with all the
necessary programs and services for the handicapped citizens of
Maryland.

Whereas, In the 1966 and 1967 studies made by the Governor's
Commission to Study the Educational Needs of Handicapped Chil-
dren it became apparent to the Commission members that there
was a serious lack of communication and coordination among those
various agencies; and

Whereas, One of the essential and most critical factors in raising
the level of Maryland's programs and services for handicapped
persons is the need for greatly increased and improved communica-
tion and coordination among the various agencies; and

Whereas, The same critical factor exists with regard to handi-
capped persons in general and is not particular to handicapped
children alone; and

Whereas, This lack of communication and coordination may
impair and impede the progress of the State in the increasingly
important field of providing programs and services for the handi-
capped; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the General Assembly of Maryland, That the Gov-
ernor of Maryland is requested to create a State interdepartmental
coordinating committee to aid in coordination of all the necessary
programs and services for all handicapped citizens in the several
departments and agencies of the State Government; and be it
further

Resolved, That this coordinating committee be known as the
Interdepartmental Council on the Handicapped, and that it consist
of the Department of Welfare, the Department of Education and