DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE, To: The Administrator, SRS. Subject: Delegation of Authority to Administer Titles I, II, and III of Public Law 93-112, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Effective December 25, 1973, and pursuant to sections 3(a) and 400 (b) of Public Law 93-112, I hereby delegate to the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration the authority to administer Titles I, II, and III of the aforementioned act. This includes, but is not restricted to authority to approve State vocational rehabilitation plans, projects, and grant awards. Mr. JACK DUNCAN, FRANK C. CARLUCCI. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE, Counsel, Select Subcommittee on Education, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. DUNCAN : As you requested, I am enclosing a copy of the delegation of authority from the Commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration to the newly designated Regional Rehabilitation Representatives in the Regional Offices. Pursuant to the provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 3(a) and Section 400 (b), delegation of functions of the Commissioner cannot be made to any other officer not directly responsible to the Commissioner, unless the Secretary shall first submit a plan for such delegation to the Congress. In order to carry on the rehabilitation program under the new Act, the Administrator has detailed one person in each Regional Office to the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration for a period of ninety (90) days, so that certain functions of the Commissioner can be delegated to and administered by the newly designated Regional Rehabilitation Representative of the Rehabilitation Services Administration. The persons detailed and receiving the delegations are the same individuals who served as Associate Regional Commissioners, they are: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE, From: Acting Commissioner, RSA. Subject: Delegation of Authority to Administer Selected Functions of Titles I, II, and III of Public Law 93-112, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Effective December 27, 1973, pursuant to Section 3(a) of Public Law 93-112, you are designated Regional Rehabilitation Representative for the Rehabilitation Services Administration. I hereby delegate to you the authority to administer certain functions of Titles I, II, and III of the aforementioned Act. This includes the authority to approve State vocational rehabilitation plans, projects, grant awards, and such other functions as may be described in later communications. CORBETT REEDY. Mr. BRADEMAS. Thank you. Mr. Lehman? Mr. LEHMAN. I just want to ask you one question. In my district which is southern Florida, we have a great number of the elderly and the handicapped, who are especially interested in the programs. Two of the problems they do have is transportation, and getting in and out of public buildings. In regards to Section 502, title 5, the section on the transportation and architectural barriers, what is happening there, and what appropriations are you asking for that could gravitate down to south Florida and make it easier on the people we have in this part of the country, especially. Mr. DWIGHT. We have requested an appropriation of $300,000 in the supplemental, which is now pending, to support the board. The members of the board are designated in the statute and that will be an effort which, since the funds are available, we will bring into place from an operational point of view. Mr. LEHMAN. The $300,000 is to be used for exactly what again? Mr. DWIGHT. The necessary support of the activities of this board. Mr. LEHMAN. That is all I have, Mr. Chairman. Mr. BRADEMAS. The Chair would like to ask unanimous consent that there be inserted at the appropriate point in the record a statement from Mr. Sam McConnell, chairman of the Health and Welfare Committee of the Legislature of the State of Arizona with respect to the Arizona plan. [The material referred to appears in appendix:] Mr. BRADEMAS. Unless any other member of the subcommittee has a question, the chairman would like then to again thank Mr. Dwight and Mr. Reedy and Ms. Betts. I think these hearings have been very useful. I would be constrained to tell you, Mr. Dwight, there are still questions that we want to ask that we have just not had time to put to you because we are anxious to have every Member have an opportunity to put questions in as much depth as he chooses to do and so when we get back in January, the Subcommittee will be back in touch with you again at that time and we will have another at least another day or two of hearings, at which we can put to you some of the questions which we, as I say, have not yet had time to ask and second put to you any questions which may have arisen out of whatever developments may have occurred in the next several weeks in that the new law will becoming into effect. So, again, we want to thank you all very much for having been so patient with our questions. It has been most helpful indeed and again, Mr. Reedy, the best of luck to you. [Whereupon, at 12:15 p.m., the subcommittee recessed, subject to the call of the Chair.] [Material submitted for inclusion in the record follows:] LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, and Welfare, Ms. GLADYS WALKER, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, Washington, D.C., January 8, 1974. Clerk, Select Subcommittee on Education, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. DEAR MS. WALKER: I am sending copies of the materials requested of HEW to be inserted into the record of the VR oversight hearings of November 30 and December 10, 1973. The materials are appropriately marked in accordance with the following listing: 1. November 30: (a) Letter of plan approval to Arizona. (b) Detailed description of the history and analysis of the Arizona plan. 2. December 10: (a) Copy of HEW/GC opinion on legality of Arizona plan. (b) Description of the "need" for VR program generally. (d) Description of advantages of Arizona plan. (e) Charts on SRS organization. With regard to the status of the planning document that was a topic of the August hearings, the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, William A. Morrill, has advised me that as plans near final development, we will meet to discuss the evaluations. We expect this to occur in February 1974. Mr. Morrill agreed in November to share these plans with the Committee. With regard to the request for the guidelines which served as the basis of the disapproval of the Arizona plan (see page 50 of the December 10 transcript), I believe that the General Counsel opinion, which is insert "a" of the December 10 materials, is responsive. Finally, inasmuch as the Supplemental Appropriation Bill became law on January 3, the State allocation study will commence immediately (see page 43 of the December 10 transcript). Sincerely, JOAN W. HUTCHINSON, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation (Welfare). |