The traveling and administrative expenses of the Mothers' Pension Commission shall be paid on warrants drawn by the Mothers' Pension Commission, or authorized agent thereof, on the State treasurer, and the said State treasurer is hereby authorized and directed to pay said warrants on the approval of the State auditor, from any moneys he may have belonging to the State and not otherwise appropriated: Provided, however, That the total amount of the traveling and administrative expenses of the said Mothers' Pension Commis'sion shall not exceed three thousand dollars ($3,000) in any one year.

On the first day of January of each year, the county treasurer shall certify, under oath, in duplicate, to the secretary of the State and to the State treasurer the amount paid out by such county during the preceding year under this section, and the State treasurer thereupon shall pay to the county treasurer of the said county, a sum equal to one-half of the amount paid out by such county; Provided, however, That the amount paid by the State to any county in any one year shall not exceed the sum of five thousand dollars ($5,000).

That for the purpose of this section the sum of eighteen thousand dollars ($18,000) shall be deemed and taken to be appropriated annually, beginning with the year nineteen hundred and nineteen, out of any moneys in the State treasury, not otherwise appropriated.

Approved, April 2, 1917; amendment approved, March 10, 1919.

FLORIDA.

[Laws 1919.]

An Act To provide for the assistance of poor mothers or other poor women having children dependent upon them for support and care under the age of 16 years and to provide the necessary means of carrying this law into effect.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: SECTION 1. County aid for poor mothers.-The county commissioners of the several counties of the State of Florida are empowered and authorized to provide in the annual budget of the general revenue fund an appropriation sufficient to meet the purposes of this law for the support of women who have dependent upon them for food, raiment, and education, an orphan or orphans, or half orphan children under 16 years of age, including any woman whose husband is dead or an inmate of some State institution, or whose husband has been prosecuted for desertion or nonsupport and has been adjudicated by the court where prosecuted to be wholly unable to support his wife and children, whose support and the support of the children depend wholly or partially upon her labor, shall be entitled to the assistance as provided for in this act, for the support of herself and for her children.

SEC. 2. Amount of allowance.-The allowance for the aid of such women shall not exceed twenty-five dollars a month when she has but one child under 16 years of age. If she has more than one child under the age of 16 years it shall not exceed twenty-five dollars for the first child, and eight dollars a month for each of the other children.

SEC. 3. Levy of tax-Conditions of allowance.-That the county commissioners of their respective counties shall levy a tax of not more than one-half of one mill on all taxable property of their respective counties for the purpose of supplying funds to carry this bill into effect, and provide means for the same, provided the condition of allowance of said allotment shall be made by the county commissioners upon the recommendation of the school board in the county in which such mothers reside, and only upon the following conditions: 1. The child or children for whose benefit the allowance is made must be living with the mother of such child or children.

2. The mother must, in the judgment of the county commissioners of such county, which body shall finally pass upon all applications for aid under this act, be a proper person morally, physically and mentally, for the bringing up of her children.

3. Said allowance shall in the judgment of the county commissioners be necessary to save the child or children from neglect.

4. No person shall receive the benefit of this act who shall not have been a resident of the State for at least four years and a resident of the county in which the allowance is given, for at least one year next before the making of the application for aid in such county.

SEC. 4. When allowance shall cease.-Whenever any child shall reach the age of sixteen years, or the mother shall remarry, the allowance to the mother or the children shall cease: Provided, however, That if it is made to appear

to the board of county commissioners, after an investigation and recommendation by the county school board, that there exists some special reason that it is for the best interest of any child, as well as for society, to continue said allowance for a longer period of time such allowance may be continued for such time as the justice of the case may demand. In all cases, however, when the mother remarries all allowances shall cease.

SEC. 5. Aid to guardians of orphan children.-The provisions of this act shall also be extended for the benefit of orphan children who are dependent on some female relative unable to support them, or to any such child or children under guardianship who are dependents or paupers and have no means of support.

SEC. 6. Duties of county and State officials.-In order to carry the provisions of this act into effect, it shall be the duty of the county school attendance officer, or like officer by whatever name called, to have direct supervision of the investigation of all cases, and he shall have the assistance of the bureau of education and child welfare of the State board of health to cooperate with the board of public instruction or social workers of each county in the State in investigating all persons entitled to the provisions of this act in the gathering of data and the history, and making a report on each case, and to this end the necessary blanks will be provided, and it shall be the duty of the board of child welfare and education of the State board of health to provide uniform blanks to be printed and paid for by the counties to be used in gathering and recording the history of each case.

SEC. 7. Records to be kept.-The history of each case when investigated by the board of public instruction, school attendance officer, or the nurse or social worker, of the county, or a committee hereinafter provided to be appointed, shall be made up in triplicate, the original to be filed with the board of county commissioners of the county, which shall include the recommendation of the board of public instruction of the county, and one copy shall be retained by the board of public instruction, and one copy forwarded to and filed with the bureau of child welfare and education of the State board of health.

SEC. 8. Investigation and report-Final action with county commissioners.— It shall be the duty of the board of public instruction of each county to require each nurse or social worker employed by said county board of public instruction or school attendance officer to carefully and speedily investigate the condition of any and all poor mothers' children, orphan and half orphan children, whose needs may be brought to their attention, and after having gathered the history of each case and recorded such history upon the blanks as hereinbefore required to be provided, to immediately place such report of such case before the board of public instruction of such county for its immediate action, and said board of public instruction shall examine such report and immediately transmit such application together with its recommendations to the board of county commissioners of the county for final action. The board of county commissioners shall immediately take up such application and grant or reject such application as that board in its judgment shall find the applicant entitled in this act.

SEC. 9. Assistance from voluntary workers.-In absence of a social worker or nurse, as provided for in section eight, in any county of the State, it shall become the duty of the board of public instruction, upon this act becoming a law, to immediately recommend for appointment three capable women, residents of such county, who will be willing to accept such appointment and serve without compensation, to investigate and report the cases of poor mothers, orphans and half orphan children entitled to the provisions of this act, and who shall serve

persons so appointed shall individually or collectively make their investigation of poor mothers, orphans and half orphans, in the same manner as nurses and social workers, as is provided for in section eight of this act.

SEC. 10. Where child may reside.-The child or children to whom the allowance is made under this act must be living with the mother, or other female guardian of such child or children unless special privilege of separation is authorized by the board of county commissioners, upon the recommendation of the board of public instruction for the sake of the child's education.

SEC. 11. Act to be construed liberally.—The provisions of this act shall be construed liberally to the ends that the best interest of all dependent children shall be conserved.

SEC. 12. School attendance.-All children receiving aid under the provisions of this act shall be required to attend the schools of the county during the whole term or terms of such schools, and upon failure of such children to attend schools for the whole term or terms thereof, the aid herein provided for such mothers and child or children shall cease without notice.

SEC. 13. Penalty for fraud.-Any person procuring an allowance under the provisions of this act, for a person or persons not entitled thereto shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars ($100) or by imprisonment for a period of not more than six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the trial judge.

SEC. 14. Repeal.-All laws or parts of laws in conflict with the provision of this act are hereby repealed.

SEC. 15. This law shall become effective upon its becoming a law.

Approved, May 31, 1919.

143973°-19-5