1302                               Laws of Maryland                        [Ch. 624

SUBMIT THEIR VIEWS; to amend the provisions of the law
relating to the General States School Fund in order to provide for
the public school construction and capital improvement program;
to limit the previously enacted school building construction aid
program to buildings and improvements for which contracts were
let prior to February 1, 1971; to increase the State reimbursement
to the counties and Baltimore City for principal and interest pay-
ments on local debt for school construction outstanding or obli-
gated as of June 30, 1967; to delete obsolete or unnecessary lan-
guage from and to clarify language in the provisions of the law
relating to the school building construction aid program; repealing
all laws inconsistent with this Act to the extent of the inconsist-
ency; and relating generally to public school construction and public
.school capital improvements.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That new Section 130A be and it is hereby added to Article 77 of the
Annotated Code of Maryland (1969 Replacement Volume), title
"Public Education," subtitle "Finance and Reports," to follow imme-
diately after Section 130 of said Article, and to read as follows:

130A.

(a)    From and after July 1, 1971, the State shall pay the costs
in excess of available Federal funds of all public school construction
projects and public school capital improvements in the counties and
Baltimore City which have been approved by the Board of Public
Works and for which the contracts have been executed on or after
July 1,1971.

(b)     The State shall also reimburse the counties and Baltimore
City for their direct expenditures from county or city revenues,
and/or for their principal and interest payments on any debt in-
curred, for costs of all public school construction projects and public
school capital improvements undertaken pursuant to contracts for
construction executed on or after February 1, 1971, and before July
1,1971, provided that such costs have been approved by the Board of
Public Works.

(c)    For purposes of this section, what shall constitute an ap-
proved construction or capital improvement cost shall be prescribed
by regulations of the Board of Public Works; provided, however,
that the cost of acquiring land shall not be deemed a construction or
capital improvement cost and shall not be paid by the State.

(d)    The Board of Public Works is authorized to adopt rules, regu-
lations and procedures for the administration of the programs pro-
vided for by this section. The rules, regulations and procedures
adopted by the Board may prescribe requirements for: the develop-
ment and submission of long-range plans, the submission of annual
plans and/or plans for specific projects, the submission of other data
or information relevant to school construction or capital improve-
ment, the approval of sites, plans and specifications for the construc-
tion of new school buildings or the improvement of existing build-
ings, site improvements, competitive bidding, the hiring of personnel
in connection with school construction or capital improvement, the
actual construction of school buildings or improvements thereto, the
relative roles of different State and local governmental agencies in