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EXECUTIVE BUREAU OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE BUDGET WASHINGTON, 25, D.C. APR 1 2 8 1945 My dear Mr. Latta: On April 24, 1945, you advised this office that S. 123, "To amend section 14 of the Act entitled 'An Act to provide for commitments to, maintenance in, and di scharges from the District Training School, and for other purposes', ap- proved March 3, 1925, and to amend section 15 thereof, as amended, # had been recei ved at the White House, and requested reports and recommendati ons as to the approval of the 11. At the present time the law authorizing charges for the maintenance of public patients at the District Training School at Laurel, Maryland, provides that if the patient has an estate out of which the Government may be reimbursed for his maintenance, in whole or in part, the court shall direct in its order of admission, such payments out of his estate for the cost of his maintenance as it deems jus t. If the order for admission is as a public patient and the court finds that the patient has no estate out of which the Government may be reimbursed for his maintenance, and it appears that there are relatives who are legally liable for his support and who are able to reimburse the District, in whole or in part, the court may make an order requiring payment by such relatives. It has been held that the present law is inadequate to require reim- bursement from the estate of a feeble-minded person who acquires property after he has been admitted to the District Training School as a public patient or to require legally liable relatives to make payments for such maintenance when such relatives were not ordered to do so at the time of commitment. It is the sole purpose of the bill under consideration to cure these deficiencies. A facsimile of the enrolled enactment has been referred to the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice, and their replies, either recommending approval of the bill or interposing no objecti on to its approval, are attached. I am authorized by the Director of the Bureau of the Budget to recommend that the bill be approved. Very truly yours, ARCHIVES Mr. M. C. Latta, The White House. Assistant Director, January GOVER Legislative Reference. Enclosures: Letters from Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice. NARA