MARVIN MANDEL, Governor                           3049

(House Joint Resolution 62)
A House Joint Resolution concerning

Youth Services Bureaus

FOR the purpose of encouraging State funding of Youth
Services Bureaus in the State.

WHEREAS, The General Assembly of Maryland believes
that the Youth Services Bureaus are a valuable and needed
service. Youth Services Bureaus have been instrumental
in helping anti-social youth develop socially—acceptable
behavior patterns; and

WHEREAS, Youth Services Bureaus are staffed by
professional workers who are sensitive to the needs of
young people. The service is personal, seeks to change
behavior, and molds solid citizens. These Bureaus have
been funded under three-year Federal Lav Enforcement
Assistance Administration program funds. Funding for
five of the 15 Youth Services Bureaus in the State is
ending between June 30, 1974, and September 1, 1974. The
Bureaus began as demonstration projects. Hence funding
has been limited to a certain number of years. Unless
the State assumes total funding of these programs, many
youths who are served by the five programs must be
abandoned; and

WHEREAS, The closing of Youth Services Bureaus may
increase spending on youth by the State in the form of
higher crime rates, detention homes, and services to
delinquents. Whereas it costs the State up to $13,000
per year to maintain one youth in a training school, it
does cost, on the average between $29 - $350 per year to
keep a youth in the Youth Services Bureaus programs. It
is the obligation of the State to renew the funding of
the Youth Services Bureaus since the State did accept the
obligation and the realization that Federal funds would
have a time limitation. Now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, That
the Governor is requested to include in his supplemental
budget [[$431,000]] necessary funds to be given to the
Department of [[Hygiene and Mental Health]] Health and
Mental Hygiene for the continued operation of five Youth
Service Bureaus as Federal funding terminates; and be it
further

RESOLVED, That The President of the Senate and The
Speaker of the House are designated jointly to send
copies of this Resolution to The Honorable Governor
Marvin Mandel, Governor of Maryland; Neal Solomon,
Secretary of Department of Health and Mental Hygiene;