1300                             Laws of Maryland                      [Ch. 410

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That subsections (c), (e), (h), (i) and (1) of Section 1J of Article
[may] shall establish a mental health advisory committee and ap-
43 OF THE ANNOTATED CODE OF MARYLAND (1971 RE-
PLACEMENT VOLUME), title "Health," subtitle "Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene," be and they are hereby repealed and
re-enacted, with amendments, to read as follows:

1J.

(c) The governing body of each county and of Baltimore City
[may] shall established ESTABLISH a mental health advisory com-
mittee and appoint the members thereto. Membership shall consist of
one representative each from the local governing body, the school
board, the welfare board, the practicing physicians, the clergy, and
the legal profession, the mental health association where one exists,
and at least three [to six] additional members representing the com-
munity as a whole. The term of office of each member shall be for
three years commencing from the first day of July of the year of ap-
pointment except that of the members first appointed one-third shall
be appointed for a term of two years and one-third for a term of one
year. Members who have served two consecutive full terms shall
not be eligible for reappointment for a period of three years follow-
ing completion of such terms. The officers of the committee shall be
elected annually by the membership and [the chairmanship shall be
rotated on an annual basis] no office shall THE CHAIRMANSHIP
SHALL NOT be held by the same person for more than two CON-
SECUTIVE years. The committee shall be empowered to create
internal subcommittees and draw in additional participants as
needed. The local health officer, the regional mental health director,
and a representative of the regional mental hospital shall be ex officio
members of the committee. The local health officer shall provide staff
services to the committee and facilitate the work of the committee
in every way possible.

Two or more counties by agreement of the governing bodies con-
cerned and upon the consent of the Commissioner of Mental Hygiene
with the approval of the State Board of Health and Mental Hygiene,
may establish a community mental health program and an inter-
county advisory committee, if the population of one of the counties
is too small to warrant establishment of an independent program.

(e) The function of each community mental health advisory com-
mittee shall be to:

(1)  Periodically review available services and facilities and de-
termine local mental health program needs;

(2)  Advise and report annually to the local health officer, the
governing body(ies), and to the Commissioner of Mental Hygiene
on progress of the local mental health program and of actions needed
for further improvements; and

(3)  Make recommendations for appropriate allocation of funds
in accordance with agreed upon priorities and consideration of finan-
cial resources (private, public, and State).

(h) The Commissioner of Mental Hygiene shall appoint regional
mental health directors [representatives] who will act as his depu-
ties and will coordinate the local mental health programs in each of