258                               LAWS OF MARYLAND                         [CH. 77

and control of the Maryland Children's Center, to the Advisory
Board appointed therefor, to the powers, functions and duties of
the Maryland Children's Center and to the funds paid and col-
lected toward its upkeep.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Section 39A be and it is hereby added to Article 88A of the
Annotated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition), title "State Depart-
ment of Public Welfare", to follow immediately after Section 39
thereof and to be under the new sub-title "Maryland Children's
Center", and to read as follows:

MARYLAND CHILDREN'S CENTER

39A. (a) The State Department of Public Welfare is authorized
and empowered within the appropriation of the Legislature to estab-
lish and maintain and administer a facility to be knoivn as the Mary-
land Children's Center for the detention and study of children
adjudged delinquent by courts of proper jurisdiction. The depart-
ment shall, also, by rule and regulation, establish such policies of
admission and discharge for such delinquent children as will make
for better care for the children therein and better service to the
courts in which they appear. The State Department of Public Wel-
fare shall supervise, direct and control the Center, prescribe the
minimum qualifications for personnel, and appoint personnel needed
to staff the Center in accordance with the provisions of Article 64A
of this Code, title "Merit System".

(b) There shall be an Advisory Board to the Maryland Children's
Center, to be composed of nine members appointed by the Governor.
Of the members first appointed, three shall be appointed for terms
of two years each, three shall be appointed for terms of four years
each, and three shall be appointed for terms of six years each.
Vacancies shall be filled by the Governor for the unexpired term. As
the terms of any said members expire, the vacancies shall be filled
by the Governor for a term of six years each. Upon the expiration of
a six year term, the appointee shall be ineligible for reappointment
to a second term immediately succeeding the first. Any member of
the Board who shall fail to attend meetings for a period of six months
shall be considered to have resigned, and the President of the Advi-
sory Board shall forward, or cause to be forwarded to the Governor
the name of such member, with the statement of such non-attendance,
and the Governor shall thereupon appoint his successor for the re-
mainder of the term. The Board shall organize, and shall meet at
least quarterly and at such special times as it may determine. It
shall study and consider the problems and operations of the Mary-
land Children's Center and shall give counsel and advice to the Super-
intendent of the institution and to the State Department of Public
Welfare with respect to the maintenance, management and improve-
ment of the Maryland Children's Center. The Board shall partici-
pate in interpreting the objectives of such institution to the public
and shall assist in the planning for the development and utilization
of all available resources for the promotion of the needs of the
institution. No member of the Advisory Board, nor any of the em-
ployees of the institution shall be directly or indirectly interested in
any contract for the building, repairing, equipping or furnishing