Marvin Mandel, Governor                        1737

(c) A committee, to be appointed by the Governor, shall pre-
pare and adopt an apportionment formula relating to the percent-
age of the total funds each county, including municipal corporations
therein, and Baltimore City shall be able to receive. The committee
shall consist of two members of the Senate, three members of the
House of Delegates, and four members of the public at large. The
Secretary of State Planning, the Director of Forests and Parks, the
Director of Game and Inland Fish, and the Chairman of the Mary-
land National Capital Park and Planning Commission, shall serve as
advisors to the committee.

357F.

(a)    Each year the Department of Forests and Parks, the Depart-
ment of Game and Inland Fish and the St. Mary's City Commission
shall prepare a list of State acquisition projects for the next fiscal
year. These projects shall be submitted to the General Assembly in
a manner similar to other capital projects as provided in Article 15A
of this Code.

(b)    There is hereby created an advance option and purchase
fund. The General Assembly may designate a portion of the funds
available for State projects to be used to obtain options for critical
parcels of land in advance of purchase or to purchase specific tracts
of land. Provided, such appropriation is made, the Department of
Forests and Parks, the Department of Game and Inland Fish and
the St. Mary's City Commission, with the approval of the Board of
Public Works, may obtain options to purchase certain lands. Prop-
erty so optioned or any other parcel or parcels may be purchased by
the State provided funds are available in the advance option and
purchase fund.

357G.

(a)    Any subdivision may apply to the State Department of
Forests and Parks for a grant from the total funds appropriated
by the General Assembly for local projects.

(b)    The Department of Forests and Parks shall administer the
local projects portion of Program Open Space and shall promulgate
and adopt rules and regulations governing the submission of applica-
tions for grants by the subdivisions. Such rules and regulations
shall be prepared in conjunction with the Department of State Plan-
ning and such other State, local, or regional agencies or organiza-
tions as the Department of Forests and Parks may deem appropriate
to consult. The Department of Forests and Parks shall process and
submit applications, plans, and other supporting data, together with
recommendations, to the Board of Public Works. The Board of
Public Works may approve, or modify and approve, the recom-
mendations submitted, provided that any modifications made by the
Board of Public Works shall be in accord with the rules and regu-
lations promulgated and adopted by the Department of Forests and
Parks. The Board of Public Works shall certify the obligation of
funds for each approved project to the State Treasurer, and the
Treasurer, through the Department, of Forests and Parks, shall make
such funds available to the governing body of the subdivision sub-
mitting the approved application.