964                              Laws of Maryland                      [Ch. 345

impairment in adaptive behavior. The term shall replace the terms
"defective," "mental defective," "idiot," "feebleminded" and "moron"
as they may appear in the statutes of the State of Maryland.

(j) "Mentally retarded person" means a person in whom there
has been found by comprehensive evaluation in a designated compre-
hensive evaluation center, a condition of mental retardation of such
a nature and degree as to constitute a substantial, continuing, pros-
pective, educational, vocational and social handicap.

(k) "Parent" means the natural or adptive ADOPTIVE mother
or father of a minor child.

(l) "Placement" means an arrangement made by the Director or
his designee for the supervised care of a mentally retarded person
in an approved foster home, boarding home, resident employment
or in any other facility approved by the Mental Retardation Ad-
ministration.

(m) "Release" means any discharge, or other departure from a
residential facility or a Veterans' Administration Hospital, by and
with the consent of someone having authority to consent to such dis-
charge or departure whether on a permanent or temporary, absolute
or conditional basis.

(n) "Responsible relative" means for the purpose of reimburse-
ment of cost of care and treatment, the spouse of a mentally retarded
person, parent or parents of a mentally retarded person when the
mentally retarded person is under 21 years of age. No liability shall be
imposed by this definition on the spouse or child of any patient who
has been abandoned by that patient. Abandonment as used herein
shall be defined by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in
accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.

(o) "Secretary" means the Secretary of Health and Mental Hy-
giene of the State of Maryland.

(p) "Treatment" means any process by which education, train-
ing, professional care or attention is given to any person in a facility
or any other place.

Organization and Administration of the Mental
Retardation Administration

4. Jurisdiction

Specific jurisdiction with regard to administration and supervision
of the care, custody, and treatment of the mentally retarded shall be
delegated to the Mental Retardation Administration which shall be
a part of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene of the State.

5.    General Responsibility of the Mental Retardation Administration

The Administration is charged with overall responsibility for the
programs for the menially retarded, and shall have licensing power
over all private facilities which purport to or do provide treatment
for mentally retarded persons.

6.    Rules and Regulations

The Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene shall make such rules
and regulations for the administration and enforcement of this ar-