HARRY HUGHES, Governor                               3637

(a)  The Director of the Office on Aging is
hereby authorized and directed to develop rules and
regulations to carry out the intent of this Act, and to
promulgate them after they have been approved by the Board
of Public Works.

(b)  Any local governmental agency may apply to
the Office on Aging for a State grant to be applied toward
the cost of converting a surplus school building or other
public building or a part thereof to an Elderly Citizen
Activities Center, and in Howard County, toward the cost of
designing, planning, constructing, and equipping of a new
building for use as an elderly citizen activities center.
The allocation and use of State funds under this Act shall
be governed by and subject to the following stipulations and
limitations:

(i) State funds may be used only for the
following eligible work: preparation of plans and
specifications, site improvements, the conversion of surplus
public school buildings or other public buildings or parts
of the building to Elderly Citizen Activities Centers and,
in Howard County, for the design, planning, construction,
and equipping of new buildings for use as Elderly Citizen
Activities Centers, contingent on certification to the Board
of Public Works by the Local Government and the Office [of]
ON Aging that no surplus school or other public building
appropriate for use as an Elderly Citizen Activities Center
exists in the area where it is desired to locate a center,
and providing for capital equipment for these centers to
serve the needs of elderly citizens. State grants may not
exceed 50 percent of the total cost of eligible work, and no
State grant may exceed $200,000. At the discretion of the
Board of Public Works, a grant may cover more than 50
percent of the cost of eligible work, provided that:

(1)  The value of property and
improvements made available by the County equals or exceeds
the amount of the State grant;

(2)  No State funds have been used
for the acquisition, construction, or maintenance of the
public building to be converted; and

(3)  The State is not responsible for
any bonded indebtedness in connection with the building. In
no case shall the State grant exceed $200,000.

(ii) Any Federal grant which may be
available for this purpose shall be applied first to the
cost of converting and equipping an Elderly Citizen
Activities Center. State grants shall not exceed 50 percent
of the total cost of eligible work remaining unpaid after
any Federal grant has been applied.