3492

VETOES

(E) FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS SECTION, THE PERCENTAGE OF
NEED MET BY THE STATE FOR EACH FISCAL YEAR SHALL BE
DETERMINED BY:

(1)  ADDING THE CASH GRANT WHICH WOULD BE PAID TO
A FAMILY OF FOUR WITHOUT ANY OTHER INCOME FOR THE YEAR TO
THE CASH VALUE OF FOOD STAMPS TO WHICH SUCH FAMILY WOULD
NORMALLY BE ENTITLED;

(2)  DIVIDING THAT SUM BY THE UPDATED STANDARD OF
NEED APPLICABLE; AND

(3)  MULTIPLYING THE DIVIDEND BY 100.

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act
shall take effect July 1, 1981.

May 19, 1981
The Honorable James Clark, Jr.
President of the Senate
State House
Annapolis, Maryland 21404

Dear Mr. President:

In accordance with Article II, Section 17 of the
Maryland Constitution, I have vetoed today Senate Bill 1061.

This bill, as amended, provides for a ten-year phase-in
of the standard of need for Aid to Families with Dependent
Children. The bill requires the Secretary of Human
Resources to report to the Governor and the General Assembly
by November 1 of each year the updated standard of need for
welfare grants applicable to the next fiscal year. It
requires the Department of Fiscal Services to review,
evaluate and report to the General Assembly on the
Secretary's report. The bill further requires the Governor
to include in the budget bill sufficient funds to increase
the grant levels by not less than 10% annually until the
percentage of need met reaches 100%. The bill specifies the
method of determining the percentage of need met.

This bill in effect, would do two things. First, it
would require the State to set the standard of need for
welfare recipients each year and, second, it would require
the Governor to fund a 10% increase in grant levels in each
year until 100% of the standard of need is met.

Each of these requirements is laudable and I am in
agreement with them. The first objective can be
accomplished without legislation, but the second objective
obviously requires a funding source and none has been
provided. Because of the absence of an ongoing funding
structure, I, as Governor, must veto this bill.