Box 7, Folder 13, Document 10

Dublin Core

Title

Box 7, Folder 13, Document 10

Text Item Type Metadata

Text

THE URBAN COALITION ACTION COUNCIL

JOHN W. GARDNER
CHAIRMAN

1819 H STREET, N. W.
WASHINGTON, D, C. 20006

May 31, 1968

WEEKLY LEGISLATIVE REPORT
(Current as of May 31, 1968)



FROM: The Staff

The Status of Substantive Legislation



The Emergency Employment and Training Act of 1968
Senate hearings were completed Friday, May 24th.

Subcommittee Chairman Clark is anxious to move ahead
and bring the measure to the floor of the Senate by
the end of June. No problems are anticipated in de-
veloping an employment bill mutually acceptable to
Chairman Clark and Senators Javits and Prouty. How-
ever, the original strategy of taking the employment
amendments to the floor as part of the Manpower Act
extension is now being reevaluated.

Administration Position



Secretary of Labor Wirtz testified in opposition to
the bill saying that such legislation could not be
enacted until a "national will to do more about these
problems has been created." Indications are that the
Administration will actively oppose the bill on the
floor of the Senate.

Coordination with House of Representatives



House and Senate leaders are working together in an effort
to develop bills substantially identical in all major
respects.

Status of House Legislation



The Select Subcommittee on Labor expects to schedule
additional hearings during the early part of June.

TELEPHONE: 202 293-1530 a)
Several groups in favor of the legislation, including
the Farmers' Union, have yet to testify. Witnesses
representing the private business sector will be in-
vited, as well as individuals and organizations exper-
ienced in problems of job creation.

Hearings on extension of the Manpower Development and
Training Act (MDTA) have been completed. The Subcom-
mittee has not yet met to mark-up the bill but is ex-
pected to do so by the second week in June.

The Revenue and Expenditure Control Act of 1968
(formerly the Tax Adjustment Act of 1968)

As previously reported, the Senate-House Conferees a-
greed on a 10 percent tax surcharge with $6 billion in
budget cuts.

The final Conference Report, however, has been delayed
pending provision of additional back-up material on
the tax exempt revenue bond financing provision.

Majority Leader Carl Albert has announced that the Con-
ference Report will not be debated on the floor of the
House until June 12th. When the Conference Report is
debated, no amendments will be permitted -- the House
must vote the report up or down.

Representative Burke of Massachusetts, a member of
the House Ways and Means Committee, sought to amend
the Conference Committee bill on Wednesday, May 29 to
limit budget cuts to $4 billion, but lost the motion
by a vote of 259 to 137.

Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968



Senate

The Senate filed a clean bill, S.3497, and passed
it substantially as introduced on May 28th.

House



The Housing Subcommittee of the House Banking and
Currency Committee completed mark-up of the bill last
week. Full committee action is expected next week.
Indications are that the House Committee will report out
a bill substantially similar to the measure approved
by the Senate Committee.

House debate will not begin until after Senate
action on the bill has been completed,
The Status of Appropriations Measures



The proposed schedule of action on the part of the Appro-
priations Subcommittees concerning legislation of interest
to the Action Council is:

1. The Housing and Urban Development Appropriation
Bill for Fiscal Year 1969 passed the House on May 8th.
Subcommittee hearings have been completed in the Senate.

2. The Labor-HEW-OEO Appropriation Bill has been marked
up by the House Subcommittee. Expectations are that the bill
will not be reported out until around mid June. It probably
will not be debated on the floor of the House until after
the Fourth of July.

3. The Regular Supplemental Appropriation Measure for
1968, we understand, is still held up pending receipt of the
Federal Pay Supplemental. No full committee action is sched-
uled yet.

The chances of seeing the Urgent Supplemental Conferees re-
port out the additional $75 million for OEO Summer Programs
and the additional $25 million for the year-round Head Start
are growing increasingly dim. If the Congress is to approve
these badly needed additional funds, efforts to persuade
"swing" members from the House Appropriations Committee will
need to be intensified.

Comments

Document Viewer