MARVIN MANDEL, Governor

2831

AN ACT concerning

Health — Medical Protection for Volunteers

FOR the purpose of [[requiring]] extending certain
medical protection programs [[to]] for certain
persons under certain unconditions who perforin
specified duties for the State or any State or
private nonprofit charitable agencies; requiring the
State or certain State or private nonprofit
charitable agencies to keep certain records and pay
certain premiums or assessments; to allow volunteers
in local government and private nonprofit charitable
agencies to be provided medical aid protection under
an approved insurance plan; defining certain terms;
and clarifying language.

May 17, 1976.
Honorable John Hanson Briscoe
Speaker of the House of Delegates
State House
Annapolis, Maryland 21404

Dear Mr. Speaker:

In accordance with Article II, Section 17 of the
Maryland Constitution, I have today vetoed House Bill
1186.

This bill authorizes the State, as well as private
nonprofit agencies, to extend health insurance benefits
to volunteers. My objection to the bill is that,
although the decision to provide these benefits is
optional, if the coverage is offered to any, it must be
offered to all. Yet, the bill is poorly drafted in terms
of defining what and who a volunteer is.

The term "volunteer" is defined in new section
471A(a) of Article 48A as a person who performs "any
assigned or authorized duties for the State or any State
or private nonprofit charitable agency, except emergency
service workers as described in section 474(g) of this
article." Overlooking, for the moment, the fact that
there is no section 474(g) of Article 48A, and that the
term "emergency service workers" is not defined or
described any where else in the relevant subtitle to
Article 48A, the definition would appear to include
volunteers working with any agency of State government.
However, new section 471A(d) provides that "volunteers
shall perform authorized or accepted work at the time an
accident occurs or a disease is contracted," which would
appear to limit the definitional scope to those persons
working in some health related field.