2152                                          LAWS OF MARYLAND                      [Ch. 640

(c)   Such federal funds as may be received by the
State, as reimbursement for payments for hospital care,
shall be accounted for in such a way that the respective
political subdivisions and the State receive the pro rata
benefit of such federal funds, to the extent that such
federal funds are not needed to defray 20% of the cost of
hospital care.

(d)   In order to participate in this program, each
county and Baltimore City is authorized and required to
levy such taxes as are necessary to provide for the
payments required by this subsection.

(e)  The State Board of Health and Mental Hygiene is
authorized to adopt and promulgate such rules and
regulations as may be necessary for the implementation of
this section.

(f)  The payment by any county or Baltimore City to
the state Department of Health of the sum specified in
this section, plus any supplementation of this sum by any
State or federal funds, shall be treated and considered
up to the particular aggregate amount as compliance with
any public local law for that county or Baltimore City
which requires or permits the county or city to pay
moneys to a hospital or hospitals* The amount of any
such payment under this section, together with its
supplementation, shall be deducted from any payment or
payments otherwise payable under the public local laws
for the county or Baltimore City, If the payment of sum
specified in this section plus the supplementation
therefor is less than the total obligation of the county
or Baltimore City under its public local laws, the amount
of difference shall be paid over by the county or city to
the hospital or hospitals, in substantially the same
ratio as that required in the public local laws. If the
payment of the sum specified in this section plus the
supplementation therefor exceeds the total obligation of
the county or city under its public local laws, the
obligation of the county or city under its public local
laws is satisfied and extinguished.]

(a) Each county and Baltimore City during the
fiscal year 1971 and each year thereafter shall place on
deposit with the State Department of Health, funds equal
to 20% of the costs for the hospital care of indigent and
medically indigent persons in the respective political
subdivisions, to permit the State Department of Health to
pay 100% of current costs for the hospital care of those
persons, provided that for the fiscal year beginning on
July 1, 1974, and for each fiscal year thereafter the
maximum amount of payment by any county or Baltimore City
shall not exceed ONE—HALF OF the amount of payment
actually paid for the fiscal year beginning on July 1.