1324                                                LAWS OF MARYLAND                            [Ch. 291

Planning] is requested to render financial assistance to
a regional, metropolitan, county, municipal or other
local planning agency, the Secretary [of State Planning]
shall first consider the adequacy and competency of the
particular agency. All local governments,
instrumentalities or planning agencies receiving
financial or other planning assistance from the State
shall at the request of Secretary [of State Planning]
submit copies of their planning budgets for planning
purposes to him. He may also require an annual audit of
their financial operations related to planning by the
State auditor, or by auditors or accountants legally
qualified to perform municipal audits. When a local
government, instrumentality or planning agency receives
financial or other planning assistance from a federal
agency, the Secretary [of State Planning] may accept such
federal agency's audit.

[9.] 11. Reports of Department of State Planning.

(a)   Annual report. —The Department [of State
Planning] shall submit an annual report to the Governor
sixty days before the General Assembly convenes for a
regular session. The annual report shall contain
summaries of those sections of the [State development]
plan which have been amended, revised, added or deleted
during the year which have previously been [filed]
SUBMITTED by the Governor in accordance with § [5] 7, and
the nature of all such amendments, revisions, additions
and deletions shall be clearly indicated. The annual
report shall also contain summaries of important studies
partially or entirely completed by the Department [of
State Planning] and summaries of the work of the
Department and of the [state Planning] Commission.

(b)   Special reports. —The Department [of State
Planning] shall also submit special reports upon the
request of the Governor or the General Assembly, or of
the Legislative Council, or at the discretion of the
Secretary, on those aspects of the Department's work
which may be deemed of current interest. Special
reports on major research and planning, projects, as
distinguished from mere compilations of current data,
shall be made available as soon as practicable after
completion.

(c)     Distribution. —The Department [of State
Planning] shall distribute copies of its annual report to
the members of the General Assembly, to the heads of all
State departments and all local, regional and
metropolitan planning agencies in the State, and upon
request, to interested federal agencies. The special
reports of the Department [of State Planning] shall be
distributed in the same manner as the annual report