Marvin Mandel, Governor                         213

year of the [Commission] Administration shall be submitted in the
[Commission's] Administration's budget to the General Assembly for
its review and approval. Such program shall include the highway
projects scheduled during such budget year and the degree of comple-
tion anticipated. Concurrently the remaining four years of the [five-
year] Five-Year Secondary Highway [p]Program shall be sub-
mitted to the General Assembly for its information. If the [Com-
mission] Administration for any reason is unable to perform in ac-
cordance with the scheduling set forth in the annual programs it is
directed to explain to the next session of the General Assembly any
change in the scheduling of a particular project included in pre-
ceding year's programs. Projects comprising the [five-year] Five-
Year Secondary Highway [p]Programs shall be derived from the
[twenty-year needs study] Twenty-Year Needs Study which will
be subject to local participation as set forth in Section 211-O of
this article. Prior to the annual submission of the Five-Year Secon-
dary Highway Program to the General Assembly, the State Highway
Administration shall consult with the local area and municipal gov-
ernment officials with respect to the inclusion of highway projects
and the establishment of construction priorities. In order to insure
full advantage from competitive bidding, it is the legislative intent
that the [Commission] Administration shall, whenever practicable
separate or break major construction projects into two or more
smaller contracts for construction purposes.

211-O.

In order that the members of the General Assembly and the Execu-
tive Department of the State may be furnished with up-to-date and
current information on highway needs and costs, the State [Roads
Commission] Highway Administration is hereby authorized and di-
rected, [beginning with the calendar year 1970,] to submit to the
General Assembly and the Governor [on or before February 1, 1970]
a [revised] twenty-year highway needs study [for the next suc-
ceeding twenty-year period]. [Thereafter, such] The twenty-year
needs study shall be updated biennially by the [Commission] Ad-
ministration and submitted to the General Assembly and the Gov-
ernor [thus initiating a continuous twenty-year construction and re-
construction program based] and shall be based upon latest cost
estimates and highway needs. Prior to the submission to the General
Assembly and the Governor of each revised twenty-year needs study,
the [Commission] Administration shall secure the approval of a
majority of the members of the local governing body, a majority of
the members of the House of Delegates representing each county,
and subject to the concurrence of a majority of the State Senators
representing each county with respect to the inclusion of highway
projects and the establishment of construction priorities. It shall be
from the twenty-year needs study which must be prepared after
participation with such local elected officials that the [five year] pro-
grams provided for in Section 211-1 shall be prepared.

Sec 3. And be it further enacted, That Section 4 (a) of Article
94A of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1969 Replacement Volume
and 1971 Supplement), title "Transportation," subtitle "Financing,"
subheading "Consolidated Transportation Bonds," be and it is hereby
repealed and re-enacted, with amendments; and that new Section
11A be and it is hereby enacted, to be under the same Article, title,