MARVIN MANDEL, Governor                        899

17.    Escape or Attempted Escape from Institutional Custody.

Any person committed to the care and custody of the Authority
pursuant to the provisions of this Article who escapes or attempts
to escape while committed to institutional custody for examination
or in-patient treatment shall be guilty of a felony pursuant to Sec-
tion 139 of Article 27.

18.    Establishment of Drug Abuse Programs in Correctional Insti-

tutions.

The Authority may establish and maintain, in cooperation with
the Department of Correction CORRECTIONAL SERVICES, or
other appropriate correctional or penal agency, programs for the
prevention and treatment of drug abuse and the rehabilitation of drug
addicts in any correctional or penal institutions within this State.

19.    Authority Approval of Facilities, Services, and Treatment.

(a)    No facility, institution, organization or individual, private
or public, shall treat any person seeking treatment for the effects of
drug addiction or any form of drug abuse, or extend any treatment,
service, or method of rehabilitation to any such person unless so ap-
proved and authorized by the Authority. Such approval shall be
granted pursuant to rules and regulations of the Authority which
shall provide for periodic review of such approval.

(b)    An application for the approval of the Authority shall be
filed with the Authority. If the Authority proposes to disapprove
the application, it shall afford the applicant an opportunity to re-
quest a public hearing. If so requested, a public hearing shall be held
and may be conducted by one or more members of the Authority, as
the Authority shall determine.

20.    Liability of Public Officers.

In the performance of acts and duties required by this Article,
any member or employee of the Authority, any peace officer, health
officer, physician, superintendent of an institution, State's Attorney,
or other person charged with or performing such acts or duties
pursuant to this Article, shall have the same immunity from liability
as have OTHER public officials.

21.    Authorization to Release Information to the Authority.

All employees, agencies, boards, commissions or other bodies of
the State or any of its political subdivisions, are authorized to and
shall release any records, reports, statements, notes, and other in-
formation dealing with the problem of drug addiction to the Author-
ity upon request of the Authority. This includes the release of names
of individuals with drug problems.

22.    Confidentiality of Information Assembled by the Authority.

(a) All records, reports, statements, notes and other informa-
tion which has been assembled or procured by the Authority for pur-
poses of research and study and which name or otherwise identify
any person or persons shall be confidential records within the
custody and control of the Authority, and may be used only