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Box 7, Folder 10, Document 18
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Gardner Describes Priority
Programs for Federal Action
Action Council Chairman John
W. Gardner has described "jobs,
housing and education" as top pri-
ority items for federal action.
He was interviewed on the CBS
"Face the Nation" program Jan. 26.
Legislative and administra-
tive actions urged by Gardner in-
cluded:
--Adequate funding of the
Housing Act of 1968, the elementa-
ry education program for children
from low-income families and man-
power programs.
--Vigorous enforcement of
school desegregation guidelines.
--Economic development of the
black community.
--Extension of the tax sur-
charge.
--Support for private enter-
prise activities in the inner city
as a supplement to federal pro-
grams.
Gardner said his task as head
of the Action Council is to make
vivid to people throughout the na-
tion the problems that confront
the cities and the steps leading
to solutions. This in turn will
bring the Congressional action
that is needed, he said.
LETT
LETTER
LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN OF THE
UE OVE OTe) Cea CO me eLU Tee
February 25, 1969
Senate Hunger Committee Is
Extended With Full Funding
The special Senate committee
studying hunger in the United
States has been extended through
this year and given $250,000 for
its investigations. Meanwhile,
Administration officials have re-
sponded to the committee hearings
by initiating actions to combat
malnutrition problems.
The impact of the committee's
hearings, which have been going on
since December, was clear when
Senators on February 18 took the
tax deductible to the donor.
ployed.
in the urban field.
URBAN COALITION ACTION COUNCIL WORKS ON LEGISLATION
_ The Urban Coalition Action Council was formed, and incorporated
separately from the Urban Coalition, in the spring of 1968 to mobi-
lize public support for needed urban legislation.
cil is a nonprofit tax exempt organization.
The Action Coun-
Gifts are generally not
The Action Council works closely with many other interested
organizations and individuals in pressing for Congressional action
to meet the urgent needs of the cities.
ported includes the Housing and Urban Development Act, fair housing,
the tax surcharge, and a public service job program as well as pri-
vate enterprise's efforts to hire and train the hard-core unem-
Legislation it has sup-
It has sought, and continues to seek, more adequate funding of
education, housing, manpower and antipoverty legislation.
This is the first issue of the Action Council Letter.
be published on a timely basis to report legislative developments
TE will
rare step of rejecting the recom-
mendations cf the Senate Rules
Committee. It had cut the hunger
committee's fund request to
$150,000.
Sen. George McGovern (D--
S.D.), chairman of the hunger
committee -- officially, the Se-
lect Committee on Nutrition and
Human Needs -- said the Rules
Committee cut wovld nullify his
plans te collect full statistics
showing "the inadequacies of our
present food programs." Without
a roll-call vote, the Senate a-
greed to the full $250,000 Mc-
Govern hed asked for the study.
So far, the highlight of
committee testimony has been @
preliminary report ky a govern-
ment survey grcup on the preva-
lence cf hunger in four states
studied for a National Nutrition
Survey. Dr. Arnold E. Schaefer,
chief of the nutrition program
of the Public Health Service,
testified January 22 that in-
vestigations had uncovered wide-
spread malnutrition in low-income
areas. He said that 16 to 17
percent of the persons examined
were in need of medical attention
for problems associated with
starvation.
Earlier, the outgoing Sec-
retary of Agriculture, Orville L.
Freeman, testified that the gov-
ernment would have to spend $1
billion more than the $1.1 bil-
lion now being spent if hunger
is to be wiped out. Freeman said
a crucial problem is "to get the
food to where it is needed."
e
Administrative Actions
Describing federal programs
for the poor as "woefully inade-
quate," HEW Secretary Robert H.
Finch announced February 17 that
he had ordered a Department-wide
review of possible preventive
and remedial actions to deal with
malnutrition and its consequences.
Finch also asked for full
data on the relationship between
mental retardation and improper
nutrition in children's early
years.
The first free food stamps
for the poorest of the poor were
authorized by Secretary of Agri-
culture Clifford M. Hardin Febru-
ary 19. The pilot project in two
South Carolina counties, if ap-
proved by local officials, will
provide free stamps for persons
who cannot pay the $3 required in
those counties for stamps that
can buy $45 of food in local
stores.
The action had been urged on
Hardin by McGovern and Sen. Ernest
F. Hollings (D S.C.), who had made
his own investigation of hunger in
his state. .
CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS
ESEA -- The House Education
and Labor Committee has been
holding hearings since January 15
on a bill (HR 514) to extend the
Elementary and Secondary Educa-
tion Act for five years. Commit-
tee Chairman Carl D. Perkins
(D Ky.) reportedly plans to have
the full Committee consider the
bill as soon as hearings end,
with the hope that the House will
pass the bill before Easter.
HUD Appropriations -- The
first appropriation hearings of
the year have begun before the
House Subcommittee on Independent
Offices and the Department of
Housing and Urban Development.
The supplemental appropriations
requested for these agencies by
President Johnson before he left
office are the subject of the
closed-door hearings being held
by the Appropriations subcommit-
tee.
Subcommittee hearings on the
proposed fiscal 1970 budget for
these agencies, covering the fis-
cal year that begins July 1, will
start in late March.
Relocation and Land Acquisi-
tion -- Sen. Muskie's Subcommit-
tee on Intergovernmental Rela-
tions has begun hearings on his
Uniform Relocation Assistance and
Land Acquisition bill (S 1).
Urban Affairs Council Meets
With Action Council Leaders
Chairman John Gardner and a
group of Action Council leaders
met February 17 with President
Nixon and his Urban Affairs Coun-
cil to discuss a number of pro-
posals. The list was not made
public, but Gardner told newsmen
that among the proposals were
federal standards for welfare
payments, expansion of pre-school
and early education programs and
revitalization of the attack on
poverty. Full funding of the
1968 Housing Act and manpower
programs also were urged,
Gardner said.
While the President made no
commitments, "the reaction was
favorable, I believe," Gardner
added.
A statement by the President
was released by the White House.
It described the meeting as “most
productive," warmly praised the
Urban Coalition's efforts, and
called on business leaders "to
lend active support to the Urban
Coalition."
Council Studies -- The first
product of studies by the Urban
Affairs Council was made public
February 19 when President Nixon
sent Congress a message asking
for a one-year extension of the
present anti-poverty agency.
That would allow time for a com-
prehensive study of the future of
the Office of Economic Opportuni-
ty, Mr. Nixon said.
As a first step, however, he
has ordered the transfer of sev-
eral activities from OEO to regu-
lar departments. The Head Start
program for pre-school children,
neighborhood health centers and
the foster grandparents plan will
be delegated to the HEW Depart-
ment by July 1. The Job Corps
will be administered by the Labor
Department.
The President's Council for Urban Affairs: standing from left to right, Secretary Shultz, Budget Bureau Director Mayo, Counsellor
Burns, Attorney General Mitchell, Secretaries Volpe and, hidden, Finch, Vice President Agnew, Secretaries Hardin and Romney, Ex-
ecutive Secretary Moynihan, Secretary Stans.
Among other issues now under
study by the President's Council
on Urban Affairs is whether to ex-
tend the Model Cities program to
more than the 150 cities now par-
ticipating in it. They have re-
ceived funds to prepare plans for
a concerted attack on all aspects
of blight in selected inner city
areas and will receive additional
federal aid when their plans are
completed. The 1968 Housing and
Urban Development Act authorized
inclusion of additional cities in
the program, but the fiscal 1970
budget submitted by President
Johnson before leaving office re-
commended funds only for the 150
programs now under development.
Mr. Johnson proposed $750 million
for supplementary grants in fiscal
1970 and an advance appropriation
of $1.25 billion for the next
year, to aid the cities' long-term
planning.
Action Council Discusses
New 91st Congress
Members of the Action Council
staff met January 8 with Washing-
ton representatives of Policy
Council members to discuss the out-
look for urban legislation in the
new Congress. With little change
in membership from the previous
Congress, the 9lst Congress is not
expected to make radical changes
in existing programs but will need
considerable encouragement to move
forward fast enough on current
problems, it was generally agreed
The Urban Coalition Action Council
1819 H St., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006
Tel: 202 293-1530
Chairman: John W. Gardner
Co-Chairmen: Andrew Heiskell
A. Philip Randolph
Executive Director: Lowell R. Beck
Legislative Associates: John P. Lagomarcino
Ronald J. James
Assistant for Legislative Information:
Georgianna F. Rathbun
John Gunther of the U.S. Conference of Mayors talks with
Wayne Smithey of the Ford Motor Co. while, in the back,
Mark Keane of the International City Managers Association
and Tom Hannigan of the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
talk together.
at the meeting.
The most urgent need is for
full appropriations to carry out
major programs for the cities that
previous Congresses have author-
ized, many participants said.
Among those participating in
the meeting was a good cross sec-
tion of the Action Council's con-
stituents. Included were repre-
sentatives of municipal groups,
business, labor unions and spokes-
men for civil rights and religious
organizations.
Ronald J. James, an attorney in Waterloo, lowa, and
former executive director of that city’s Commission on
Human Rights, joined the staff of the Urban Coalition
Action Council Feb. 17. A graduate of the University of
Missouri, James worked for Congressmen Rumsfeld
(R Ill.) and Bromwell (R lowa) while studying for his
law degree at American University.
a
Programs for Federal Action
Action Council Chairman John
W. Gardner has described "jobs,
housing and education" as top pri-
ority items for federal action.
He was interviewed on the CBS
"Face the Nation" program Jan. 26.
Legislative and administra-
tive actions urged by Gardner in-
cluded:
--Adequate funding of the
Housing Act of 1968, the elementa-
ry education program for children
from low-income families and man-
power programs.
--Vigorous enforcement of
school desegregation guidelines.
--Economic development of the
black community.
--Extension of the tax sur-
charge.
--Support for private enter-
prise activities in the inner city
as a supplement to federal pro-
grams.
Gardner said his task as head
of the Action Council is to make
vivid to people throughout the na-
tion the problems that confront
the cities and the steps leading
to solutions. This in turn will
bring the Congressional action
that is needed, he said.
LETT
LETTER
LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN OF THE
UE OVE OTe) Cea CO me eLU Tee
February 25, 1969
Senate Hunger Committee Is
Extended With Full Funding
The special Senate committee
studying hunger in the United
States has been extended through
this year and given $250,000 for
its investigations. Meanwhile,
Administration officials have re-
sponded to the committee hearings
by initiating actions to combat
malnutrition problems.
The impact of the committee's
hearings, which have been going on
since December, was clear when
Senators on February 18 took the
tax deductible to the donor.
ployed.
in the urban field.
URBAN COALITION ACTION COUNCIL WORKS ON LEGISLATION
_ The Urban Coalition Action Council was formed, and incorporated
separately from the Urban Coalition, in the spring of 1968 to mobi-
lize public support for needed urban legislation.
cil is a nonprofit tax exempt organization.
The Action Coun-
Gifts are generally not
The Action Council works closely with many other interested
organizations and individuals in pressing for Congressional action
to meet the urgent needs of the cities.
ported includes the Housing and Urban Development Act, fair housing,
the tax surcharge, and a public service job program as well as pri-
vate enterprise's efforts to hire and train the hard-core unem-
Legislation it has sup-
It has sought, and continues to seek, more adequate funding of
education, housing, manpower and antipoverty legislation.
This is the first issue of the Action Council Letter.
be published on a timely basis to report legislative developments
TE will
rare step of rejecting the recom-
mendations cf the Senate Rules
Committee. It had cut the hunger
committee's fund request to
$150,000.
Sen. George McGovern (D--
S.D.), chairman of the hunger
committee -- officially, the Se-
lect Committee on Nutrition and
Human Needs -- said the Rules
Committee cut wovld nullify his
plans te collect full statistics
showing "the inadequacies of our
present food programs." Without
a roll-call vote, the Senate a-
greed to the full $250,000 Mc-
Govern hed asked for the study.
So far, the highlight of
committee testimony has been @
preliminary report ky a govern-
ment survey grcup on the preva-
lence cf hunger in four states
studied for a National Nutrition
Survey. Dr. Arnold E. Schaefer,
chief of the nutrition program
of the Public Health Service,
testified January 22 that in-
vestigations had uncovered wide-
spread malnutrition in low-income
areas. He said that 16 to 17
percent of the persons examined
were in need of medical attention
for problems associated with
starvation.
Earlier, the outgoing Sec-
retary of Agriculture, Orville L.
Freeman, testified that the gov-
ernment would have to spend $1
billion more than the $1.1 bil-
lion now being spent if hunger
is to be wiped out. Freeman said
a crucial problem is "to get the
food to where it is needed."
e
Administrative Actions
Describing federal programs
for the poor as "woefully inade-
quate," HEW Secretary Robert H.
Finch announced February 17 that
he had ordered a Department-wide
review of possible preventive
and remedial actions to deal with
malnutrition and its consequences.
Finch also asked for full
data on the relationship between
mental retardation and improper
nutrition in children's early
years.
The first free food stamps
for the poorest of the poor were
authorized by Secretary of Agri-
culture Clifford M. Hardin Febru-
ary 19. The pilot project in two
South Carolina counties, if ap-
proved by local officials, will
provide free stamps for persons
who cannot pay the $3 required in
those counties for stamps that
can buy $45 of food in local
stores.
The action had been urged on
Hardin by McGovern and Sen. Ernest
F. Hollings (D S.C.), who had made
his own investigation of hunger in
his state. .
CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS
ESEA -- The House Education
and Labor Committee has been
holding hearings since January 15
on a bill (HR 514) to extend the
Elementary and Secondary Educa-
tion Act for five years. Commit-
tee Chairman Carl D. Perkins
(D Ky.) reportedly plans to have
the full Committee consider the
bill as soon as hearings end,
with the hope that the House will
pass the bill before Easter.
HUD Appropriations -- The
first appropriation hearings of
the year have begun before the
House Subcommittee on Independent
Offices and the Department of
Housing and Urban Development.
The supplemental appropriations
requested for these agencies by
President Johnson before he left
office are the subject of the
closed-door hearings being held
by the Appropriations subcommit-
tee.
Subcommittee hearings on the
proposed fiscal 1970 budget for
these agencies, covering the fis-
cal year that begins July 1, will
start in late March.
Relocation and Land Acquisi-
tion -- Sen. Muskie's Subcommit-
tee on Intergovernmental Rela-
tions has begun hearings on his
Uniform Relocation Assistance and
Land Acquisition bill (S 1).
Urban Affairs Council Meets
With Action Council Leaders
Chairman John Gardner and a
group of Action Council leaders
met February 17 with President
Nixon and his Urban Affairs Coun-
cil to discuss a number of pro-
posals. The list was not made
public, but Gardner told newsmen
that among the proposals were
federal standards for welfare
payments, expansion of pre-school
and early education programs and
revitalization of the attack on
poverty. Full funding of the
1968 Housing Act and manpower
programs also were urged,
Gardner said.
While the President made no
commitments, "the reaction was
favorable, I believe," Gardner
added.
A statement by the President
was released by the White House.
It described the meeting as “most
productive," warmly praised the
Urban Coalition's efforts, and
called on business leaders "to
lend active support to the Urban
Coalition."
Council Studies -- The first
product of studies by the Urban
Affairs Council was made public
February 19 when President Nixon
sent Congress a message asking
for a one-year extension of the
present anti-poverty agency.
That would allow time for a com-
prehensive study of the future of
the Office of Economic Opportuni-
ty, Mr. Nixon said.
As a first step, however, he
has ordered the transfer of sev-
eral activities from OEO to regu-
lar departments. The Head Start
program for pre-school children,
neighborhood health centers and
the foster grandparents plan will
be delegated to the HEW Depart-
ment by July 1. The Job Corps
will be administered by the Labor
Department.
The President's Council for Urban Affairs: standing from left to right, Secretary Shultz, Budget Bureau Director Mayo, Counsellor
Burns, Attorney General Mitchell, Secretaries Volpe and, hidden, Finch, Vice President Agnew, Secretaries Hardin and Romney, Ex-
ecutive Secretary Moynihan, Secretary Stans.
Among other issues now under
study by the President's Council
on Urban Affairs is whether to ex-
tend the Model Cities program to
more than the 150 cities now par-
ticipating in it. They have re-
ceived funds to prepare plans for
a concerted attack on all aspects
of blight in selected inner city
areas and will receive additional
federal aid when their plans are
completed. The 1968 Housing and
Urban Development Act authorized
inclusion of additional cities in
the program, but the fiscal 1970
budget submitted by President
Johnson before leaving office re-
commended funds only for the 150
programs now under development.
Mr. Johnson proposed $750 million
for supplementary grants in fiscal
1970 and an advance appropriation
of $1.25 billion for the next
year, to aid the cities' long-term
planning.
Action Council Discusses
New 91st Congress
Members of the Action Council
staff met January 8 with Washing-
ton representatives of Policy
Council members to discuss the out-
look for urban legislation in the
new Congress. With little change
in membership from the previous
Congress, the 9lst Congress is not
expected to make radical changes
in existing programs but will need
considerable encouragement to move
forward fast enough on current
problems, it was generally agreed
The Urban Coalition Action Council
1819 H St., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006
Tel: 202 293-1530
Chairman: John W. Gardner
Co-Chairmen: Andrew Heiskell
A. Philip Randolph
Executive Director: Lowell R. Beck
Legislative Associates: John P. Lagomarcino
Ronald J. James
Assistant for Legislative Information:
Georgianna F. Rathbun
John Gunther of the U.S. Conference of Mayors talks with
Wayne Smithey of the Ford Motor Co. while, in the back,
Mark Keane of the International City Managers Association
and Tom Hannigan of the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
talk together.
at the meeting.
The most urgent need is for
full appropriations to carry out
major programs for the cities that
previous Congresses have author-
ized, many participants said.
Among those participating in
the meeting was a good cross sec-
tion of the Action Council's con-
stituents. Included were repre-
sentatives of municipal groups,
business, labor unions and spokes-
men for civil rights and religious
organizations.
Ronald J. James, an attorney in Waterloo, lowa, and
former executive director of that city’s Commission on
Human Rights, joined the staff of the Urban Coalition
Action Council Feb. 17. A graduate of the University of
Missouri, James worked for Congressmen Rumsfeld
(R Ill.) and Bromwell (R lowa) while studying for his
law degree at American University.
a
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