Marvin Mandel, Governor                        1085

as the Board of Correction may determine under the provisions of
Section 688 of Article 27 of the Code.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
July 1, 1971.

Approved May 17, 1971.

CHAPTER 492
(Senate Bill 778)

AN ACT to add new Sections 781 to 790, inclusive, to Article 43 of
the Annotated Code of Maryland (1965 Replacement Volume and
1970 Supplement), title "Health," subtitle "Nursing Home Admin-
istrators," to follow immediately after Section 780 thereof and to
be under the new subtitle "Kidney Disease Program," creating a
Commission on Kidney Disease and providing for the duties and
responsibilities thereof; providing for the duties and responsibili-
ties of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Mental Hy-
giene in connection with the Kidney Disease Program; providing
for State financial aid to certain patients under certain conditions
and for repayment of the cost of such aid to the State under certain
conditions; and generally relating to the Kidney Disease Program.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That new Sections 781 to 790, inclusive, be and they are hereby added
to Article 43 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1965 Replacement
Volume and 1970 Supplement), title "Health," subtitle "Nursing
Home Administrators," to follow immediately after Section 780 there-
of and to be under the new subtitle "Kidney Disease Program," and
all to read as follows:

Kidney Disease Program
781.

(A)  It is hereby declared and found that one of the most serious
and tragic problems facing the public health and welfare is the death
of hundreds of persons in Maryland every year from chronic renal
disease, when the present state of the medical art and technology
could return these persons to a socially productive life. Advances and
discoveries in the treatment of patients suffering from chronic renal
disease now allow, not mere survival, but rehabilitation of these
patients to their normal occupations and activities. Presently, these
patients are dying for lack of personal financial resources to pay for
the expensive equipment and care which they need.

(B)  The State hereby recognizes its responsibility to its citizens to
allow them to keep their health without being pauperized and to
use the resources and organization of the State to aid in gathering
and disseminating information on the treatment of chronic renal
disease. This responsibility is discharged by the provisions of this
subtitle, wherein the reimbursement and information programs are