8 130, 1966," the following: "and the sum of $30,000,000 for 2 the fiscal year ending June 30, 1967,”. Passed the House of Representatives May 2, 1966. Attest: RALPH R. ROBERTS, Clerk. (The House Committee on Education and Labor Report, House Report No. 1467 on H.R. 14644 follows:) 89TH CONGRESS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ( REPORT 2d Session No. 1467 HIGHER EDUCATION AMENDMENTS OF 1966 APRIL 29, 1966.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. POWELL, from the Committee on Education and Labor, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H.R. 14644] The Committee on Education and Labor, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 14644) to amend the Higher Education Facilities Act of 1963 to extend it for 3 years, and for other purposes; and to authorize assistance to developing institutions for an additional year, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. PURPOSE OF THE LEGISLATION H.R. 14644 is designed to renew and strengthen two Federal assistance programs essential to the advancement of educational opportunities in the Nation: (1) The construction of higher education facilities; and In 1963, the Congress in approving the Higher Education Facilities Act authorized a 5-year program of grants and loans for the construction of undergraduate and graduate facilities. For the first 3 fiscal years of the program, fiscal years 1964, 1965, and 1966, the act contained specific authorizations for each of the three programs carried on under the act, i.e., grants for the construction of under graduate facilities, grants for the construction of graduate facilities, and loans for the construction of academic facilities. It is the purpose of H.R. 14644, in addition to proposing minor revisions in the Facilities Act, to specify authorizations for the remaining 2 years of the programs and to extend the act for 3 additional years, specifying authorizations for the first year of the 3-year extention. It is also the purpose of H.R. 14644 to extend title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965, a program of Federal assistance for developing institutions, for an additional year, fiscal year 1967. BACKGROUND OF THE LEGISLATION The Higher Education Facilities Act of 1963 is designed to assist the Nation's institutions of higher education to construct needed classrooms, laboratories, and libraries in order to accommodate mounting student enrollments and to meet demands for skilled technicians and for advanced graduate education. Enactment of the program in 1963 demonstrated the congressional recognition that colleges and universities needed assistance immediately if they were to provide a college education for what was described as "the tidal wave" of students seeking admission. President Johnson stated, when signing the act, that it was "the most significant education bill passed by Congress in the history of the Republic." The progress made under the act during the last 3 years has been noteworthy. Nevertheless, the needs which prompted congressional action then are still pressing, and require continued assistance. Perhaps the existing situation was best described by the U.S. Commissioner of Education, Harold Howe II, in hearings before the Special Subcommittee on Education, when he said, "Even with the expenditure of an estimated $1 billion in non-Federal construction of undergraduate facilities, plus $600 million in Federal grants and loans, the gap between need and resources is estimated to exceed $4 billion." In order that the Congress might review the implementation of the Higher Education Facilities Act at the end of a 3-year period, specific sums were not authorized for the last 2 years of the 5-year program. Thus, without authorizing legislation, the program would not be operative after June 30 of this fiscal year, as the act contained no authorization of appropriations. With respect to title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965, Congress wished to review the program after the first year of its operation. Thus, legislation is also required to extend this program, as it too would have expired on June 30 of this year. H.R. 14644 reflects the testimony presented to the Special Subcommittee on Education in hearings conducted on bills to extend and amend the Higher Education Facilities Act of 1963 and title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Public hearings were held on 5 days. In addition to the testimony presented in the hearings, the Special Subcommittee on Education has received numerous letters from college and university administrators and faculty, requesting the extension of the two programs. SUMMARY OF THE MAJOR PROVISIONS AND DISCUSSION Higher Education Facilities Act 1963 TITLE IGRANTS FOT THE CONSTRUCTION OF UNDERGRADUATE FACILITIES Title I of the act established a program of grants to public and private nonprofit colleges and universities for undergraduate classroom, laboratory, and library construction. These grants are used to pay up to 40 percent of the construction costs for public community colleges, and up to one-third of such costs for other colleges and universities. In fiscal year 1965 there was a demand for some $250 million in excess of the $225 million in Federal funds made available under the title. A recent survey by the U.S. Office of Education suggests that during 1966 public community colleges and technical institutes had a demand for more than three times their allotment for the year of grant funds for facilities construction, if the additional Federal funds had been available; and 4-year institutions had a demand of more than twice their allotment. This is understandable since in the last decade college enrollments have doubled. There are now nearly 6 million students in American colleges. By 1975 enrollment is expected to reach 8.6 million. Freshman enrollments for 1965 are 18 percent above those of the previous year. The number of colleges and universities rose from 866 at the end of World War II to almost 2,200 in 1966, and there is every indication that this spectacular growth will continue. The U.S. Office of Education indicates that there is a need for well over $2 billion annually in new academic facilities during the coming 2 years. The committee views these figures as conservative for a number of reasons, foremost of which is that they do not take into account the stimulation that will be given by new financial aid legislation, and, in particular, the GI bill, which potentially can provide enormous and as yet unestimated enrollment increases. For fiscal year 1967 the administration requested an authorization of $453 million for the program of grants to assist in the construction of undergraduate academic facilities. As previously indicated the testimony and evidence presented to the committee suggests that this is a minimal figure; however, the administration's recommendation has been incorporated in the provisions of H.R. 14644. bill further proposes the following authorization for title I: Fiscal year 1968. Fiscal year 1969_ The Million $700 900 The following tables show the proposed distribution of the title I funds in each of the next 3 fiscal years. |