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<section article="ghg" article_name="Health - General" number="2-302" title_number="2" title_name="Maryland Department of Health" subtitle_number="3" subtitle_name="Special Provisions as to Mental Health">
  <level label="a">
    <text>The funding required in the State budget for local health services, exclusive of special fund and federal appropriations, shall be at least the amount set forth in subsection (b) of this section.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>The funding shall be:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>For fiscal years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, the amount of funding provided through the formula for the preceding fiscal year adjusted for:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (All Urban Consumers), on June 30 of the second preceding fiscal year, calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Population growth, as measured by the growth in the total population of the State on June 30 of the second preceding fiscal year, according to the most recent statistics available through the U.S. Department of Commerce;</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>For fiscal year 2025, $70,000,000, to be distributed to each municipality or subdivision in the same proportion as the fiscal year 2024 funding distributed to each municipality or subdivision;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>For fiscal year 2026, $80,000,000, to be distributed to each municipality or subdivision in the same proportion as the fiscal year 2025 funding distributed to each municipality or subdivision; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>For fiscal year 2027 and each subsequent fiscal year, the greater of:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The funding provided by the formula for the immediately preceding fiscal year; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The actual funds appropriated for the immediately preceding fiscal year, adjusted for:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>Inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (All Urban Consumers), on June 30 of the second immediately preceding fiscal year, calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>Population growth, as measured by the growth in the total population of the State on June 30 of the second immediately preceding fiscal year, according to the most recent statistics available through the U.S. Department of Commerce.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>For fiscal year 2027 and each subsequent fiscal year, no subdivision may receive less State funding for local health services under this section than that subdivision received in fiscal year 2026.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>The Secretary shall, in consultation with local health department directors, adopt regulations to guide the distribution of the funding required under this section. The regulations shall give consideration to appropriate measures of community health need, local funding effort, and other relevant factors.</text>
  </level>
</section>
