Opinion ID: 2076375
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the juvenile services act

Text: The Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) is a principal department of State government. Code, Art. 83C § 2-101(a). The head of DJS is its Secretary, who is responsible for its operation, § 2-102(a) and (b), and for its budget and for the budget of each unit in the Department, § 2-104(a). DJS is the central administrative Department for ... [t]he State juvenile, diagnostic, training, detention, and rehabilitation institutions. Section 2-111(a)(2). DJS may (1) Designate, as its agent for the purposes of this article, any public or private agency or organization in this State; and (2) Spend funds: (i) To aid that agent or to buy services from it; or (ii) If adequate services are not available in this State, to buy services from any agency or organization outside this State. Section 2-114. Except as expressly provided otherwise, the Secretary may transfer, by rule, regulation, or written directive, any function, staff, or funds from any unit in the Department to the office of the Secretary or another unit in the Department. Section 2-104(g). It is, of course, self-evident that DJS may spend only those funds available to it by law and must operate within those funds. The Secretary is charged with developing a State Comprehensive Juvenile Services 3-year Plan, prior to 1 January 1990, § 2-104(e)(3)(1). The Plan shall be revised for each subsequent calendar year for three years and shall be submitted to the General Assembly by February 1 of each year, id., subsections (e)(3)(i) and (ii). Subsection (e)(3)(i) requires, among other matters, that the Plan shall: (2) Set out the needs of the various areas of services for clients ...; [and] (3) Establish priorities for the different services needed.... [4]