1969]                                OF THE SENATE                                     13

Fund," to change the procedure under the Unsatisfied Claim and Judg-
ment Fund law for claims against uninsured motorists who cannot be
located; to make the Board the statutory agent of the motorist for service
of process and to subject these claims to the provisions of the Unsatisfied
Fund law.

The President put the question: Shall the bill pass notwithstanding
the objections of the Executive?

The President announced the veto was sustained by roll call as
follows:

Affirmative

Senator—

McCourt.                                                                                                  Total—1

Negative
Senators—

Mr. President, Anderson, Azrael, Bailey, Bertier, Bertorelli, Bishop, Brubaker,
Byron, Clark, Connolly, Cook, Conroy, Crawford, Curran, Dean, Emanuel, Finney,
Friedler, Gore, Hall, Hart, Hodges, Hoyer, Hughes, H., Lapides, Malkus, McGuirk,
Nock, Pine, Schweinhaut, Smelser, Snyder, Staszak, Staten, Steffey, Steinberg, Stone,
Welcome, Wineland.                                                                                         Total—40

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT

May 28, 1969.

Honorable William S. James
President of the Senate
State House
Annapolis, Maryland

Dear Mr. President:

In accordance with Article II, Section 17, of the Maryland Consti-
tution, I have today vetoed Senate Bill 285 and am returning it to you.

This Bill repeals in its entirety Article 59 of the Annotated Code of
Maryland and enacts a new Article 59 to stand in its place, thereby com-
pletely revising the Mental Hygiene laws of the State. The Bill is a product
of a great deal of study and work, and I fully indorse its objectives.

However, through what was undoubtedly oversight, the Bill as
drafted repeals the provisions in the existing law for direct commitments
of mentally ill persons to Veterans Administration Hospitals and fails to
enact new provisions for direct commitments to such hospitals. The Vet-
erans Administration has written to me, delineating the problems which
this Bill will create and requesting that I veto it. For the reasons given in
the attached letter from the Veterans Administration, which is to be con-
sidered a part of this message, I believe that Senate Bill 285 must be
vetoed.

Since the Bill for the most part does represent a desirable revision of
Article 59, I strongly urge that it be modified to take care of the problem
of direct commitments to Veterans Administration Hospitals and, as so
modified, be enacted at the 1970 session of the General Assembly.

Sincerely,

/s/ Marvin Mandel,

Governor.
Which was read.