214                              Laws of Maryland                        [Ch. 17

subtitle and subheading, ADDED TO THE SAID ARTICLE, SUB-
TITLE AND SUBHEADING OF THE CODE, to follow immediately
after Section 11 thereof; and all to read as follows:

4.

(a) The Department is hereby authorized and empowered to issue
from time to time on behalf of the State of Maryland its bonds for
the purpose of financing the cost of any one or more or combination
of one or more transportation facilities. The bonds shall be known
as "Consolidated Transportation Bonds" and may be issued in any
amount as long as the aggregate outstanding and unpaid principal
balance of such bonds does not exceed at any one time the sum of
[$500,000,000] $950,000,000, which sum shall include the outstand-
ing and unpaid aggregate principal balance due on the bonds of prior
issues.

11A.

In accordance with, and subject to, the principle that if there is
substantial State financial support for the planned rapid rail mass
transit system in one metropolitan area of the State, there should
be substantial State financial support for the planned rapid rail mass
transit system in the other metropolitan area of the State, and sub-
ject to the appropriation requirements and budgetary provisions of
Section 11(d) of this Article, the Department of Transportation, be-
ginning with the fiscal year 1978, shall provide for grants to the
Washington Suburban Transit District in an amount equal to the
current actual expenditures required of the District under Article 41,
Section 317-18(b) of the Annotated Code of Maryland as the contri-
bution of the District toward the cost of the Regional Rapid Rail
Transit Program as adopted on March 1, 1968, and as revised on
February 7, 1969 and June 11, 1970, by the Washington Metropolitan
Area Transit Authority, according to the following schedule:

Fiscal Year 1978 — $ 30,907,300
Fiscal Year 1974 — 23,258,200
Fiscal Year 1975 — 35,792,100
Fiscal Year 1976 — 40,941,000
Fiscal Year 1977 — 25,177,800
Fiscal Year 1978 — 4,845,600
TOTAL — $160,922,000

Any grants by the Department of Transportation to the Washington
Suburban Transit District in excess of the above schedule may be
made only after approval by the Secretary of Transportation.

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That Sections 208(g) and
208(k) of Article 41 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1971 Re-
placement Volume), title "Governor—Executive and Administrative
Departments," subtitle "The Department of Transportation," be and
they are hereby repealed and re-enacted, with amendments, all to
read as follows:

208.

(g) The Secretary may, to the extent authorized by the State
Budget, make grants in aid to any governmental transportation
agency within the State of Maryland, whether the agency be a county