APRIL 4, 1968.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed Mr. McCLORY, from the Committee on the Judiciary, REPORT together with MINORITY VIEWS [To accompany H.R. 15951] The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 15951) to provide for uniform annual observances of certain legal public holidays on Mondays, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. PURPOSE OF THE BILL One purpose of the bill is to provide for the annual observance on Mondays of certain national holidays, including: Washington's Birthday, to be observed on the third Monday in Memorial Day, to be observed on the last Monday in May; and Veterans Day, to be observed on the fourth Monday in October. An additional purpose of the bill is to establish a national holiday in honor of Christopher Columbus-a holiday which would be observed on the second Monday in October. STATEMENT Under present Federal law, Washington's Birthday is observed as a national holiday on February 22; Memorial Day on May 30; and Veterans' Day on November 11. Present Federal law does not provide. however, for the observance of Columbus Day as a national holiday, even though a day honoring Christopher Columbus has been established under the laws of 34 of the 50 States. By calling for the observance of three of the present national holidays on Mondays and by creating an additional holiday to be observed on Monday, the proposed legislation would bring about substantial benefits to both the spiritual and economic life of the Nation. It would afford increased opportunities for families to be together. especially those families of which the various members are separated by great distances. It would enable our citizens to enjoy a wider range of recreational facilities since they would be afforded more time for travel. In addition, by affording more time to our citizens for travel, the Monday holiday program would increase the opportunities for pilgrimages to the historical sites connected with our holidaysthereby increasing participation in the commemoration of historical events. At the same time, the program would also afford greater opportunity for leisure at home so that our citizens would be able to enjoy fuller participation in hobbies as well as educational and cultural activities. Finally, the Monday holiday program would stimulate greater industrial and commercial production by reducing employee absenteeism and enabling workweeks to be free from interruptions in the form of midweek holidays. HISTORY OF THE LEGISLATION MONDAY HOLIDAYS Although a number of bills have been introduced in the Congress over the years calling for the observance of holidays on Mondays, it was not until the first session of the 90th Congress that intensive consideration was given to such a proposal through the holding of legislative hearings. On August 16 and 17, 1967, Subcommittee No. 4 of the Committee on the Judiciary held hearings on H.R. 11679, introduced by Representative McClory, as well as H.R. 1292, introduced by Representative Stratton, and a wide variety of similar proposals for Monday holidays. These hearings made it clear that the Monday holiday proposals were responsive to the needs and desires of a great majority of our population. Support for these proposals was expressed by such major business groups as the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Association of Travel Organizations, and the National Retail Federation. There was likewise substantial support from the labor community, expressed by such organizations as the American Federation of Government Employees, the Government Employees Council of the AFL-CIO, the International Amalgamated Transit Union, and the National Association of Letter Carriers. In addition, the subcommittee received testimony favoring the legislation_from_representatives of the Department of Labor, the Bureau of the Budget, the Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Civil Service Commission. During the course of the hearings the subcommittee also took note of a number of public opinion polls which had been conducted in connection with the proposals. The combined effect of these polls indicates that almost 93 percent of the persons polled supported the concept of uniform Monday holiday legislation, while little more than 7 percent were opposed. H.R. 1280 COLUMBUS DAY A large number of proposals to establish Columbus Day as a national holiday were also introduced in past sessions of Congress. These proposals likewise received consideration in the first session of the 90th Congress as a result of hearings held by Subcommittee No. 4 on Octo4 and 5, 1967. At that time the subcommittee considered H. R. 2372, which had been introduced by Representative Rodino, as well as 45 similar bills introduced by other Members of Congress. During the course of the hearings the subcommittee received testimony and statements from 51 individuals or groups, including 35 Members of Congress, strongly in support of establishing Columbus Day as a national holiday. THE REPORTED BILL H.R. 15951 is the combined outgrowth of the committee's deliberations, both with respect to proposals for uniform Monday holidays and proposals for the observance of Columbus Day as a national holiday. With respect to the Monday holiday proposals in particular, H.R. 55951 represents a refinement of your committee's judgment as to the holidays that may be observed on Monday without doing violence to either history or tradition. It is your committee's view that each of the holidays affected by H.R. 15951 may be appropriately observed on a Monday, rather than on a date certain, without in any way detracting from the historical significance of the person or occasion being honored. In recommending that Washington's Birthday be observed on the third Monday in February, your committee took note of the fact that the exact date of Washington's birth is subject to conjecture. He was reported to have been born on February 11 according to the calendar in effect at the time of his birth. However, when the United States adopted the Gregorian Calendar in 1752 all dates were advanced 11 days. Yet, according to Douglas' "American Book of Days," Washington's Birthday was first celebrated on February 12 at the direction of Compte de Rochambeau, commander of the French forces during the American Revolution. In recommending the observance of Memorial Day on a Monday, your committee is cognizant of the fact that in the past Memorial Day has been celebrated on such diverse dates as April 25, April 26, June 9. and May 30. The present May 30 date appears to have originated with Gen. John A. Logan, who, as commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, ordered the initial nationwide observance of a "Decoration Day" on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the fallen of the Civil War. Under these circumstances, since our present Memorial Day commemorates the fallen of all of our wars, it is your committee's judgment that the date of May 30 is of limited importance. In recommending the observance of Columbus Day, it is your committee's judgment that such a holiday would be, as has been suggested by Representative Rodino, "an annual reaffirmation by the American people of their faith in the future, a declaration of willingness to face with confidence the imponderables of unknown tomorrows." It is also your committee's judgment that the observance of Columbus Day is an appropriate means of recognizing the United States as a "nation of immigrants"-as we were described by the late President Kennedy. H.R. 1280 90-760 O - 74-87 90TH CONGRESS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session { REPORT No. 1277 CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 16324 APRIL 3, 1968.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed Mr. YOUNG, from the Committee on Rules, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. Res. 1124] The Committee on Rules, having had under consideration House Resolution 1124, report the same to the House with the recommendation that the resolution do pass. |