House Concurrent Resolution 309 was introduced by Congressman John H. Dent on July 30, 1969. It was agreed to by the House of Representatives on August 7, 1969. The catalog of Federal assistance programs which would be printed as a House document pursuant to House Concurrent Resolution 309 constitutes a revision and updating of the catalog entitled "Listing of Operating Federal Assistance Programs Compiled During the Roth Study," which was prepared by the staff of Congressman William V. Roth, Jr., and printed as House Document 399 of the 90th Congress. This first effort, which occupied Congressman Roth and his staff for 8 months, was motivated by his concern that even though more than $20 billion a year is being spent on Federal assistance programs, there is no "central, comprehensive repository where meaningful information on all operating programs can be found." The first Roth catalog listed 1,091 Federal assistance programs, but due to difficulties in obtaining detailed information only 541 of those programs were described fully. In their 1969 compilation, the printing of which would be authorized by this concurrent resolution, approximately 1,300 Federal assistance programs would be listed, each with a full description. The first such catalog, issued by the Office of Economic Opportunity in 1965, was devoted primarily to poverty programs. A second OEO catalog, issued in 1967, listed 459 programs. A third catalog, prepared by OEO for the Bureau of the Budget, was released in April of 1969 with descriptions of 581 programs. According to Congressman Roth, it was the limited coverage and lack of complete descriptions in the earlier two catalogs which impelled him to compile his own catalog, issued in 1968. He now has expressed dissatisfaction with the third OEO (Bureau of the Budget) catalog, entitled "Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance," contending: (a) It lists too few programs. (b) It does not provide adequate program descriptionslacking precise eligibility requirements, restrictions placed on aid, funding information, the mechanics of applying, deadlines, and precise contacts. (c) It is not adequately indexed to reflect in simple terms what users might need. (d) Because it is not looseleaf, it will soon be out of date. Congressman Roth's request to the Congress for approval of House Concurrent Resolution 309 is based on his desire to provide an interim catalog specifically designed to meet the present information needs of Congress, the executive branch, and the public relative to all existing Federal assistance programs. The printing of his catalog would in addition, however, make available a model catalog to illustrate the format envisioned by his bill, H.R. 338, to create a catalog of Federal assistance programs, and for other purposes. H.R. 338 (the Program Information Act) is cosponsored by 183 other Members of the House of Representatives. A Senate companion bill, S. 60, is sponsored by Senator J. Caleb Boggs, and cosponsored by 10 other Members of the Senate. S. Rept. 91-413 The printing-cost estimate, supplied by the Public Printer, is as follows: Printing-cost estimate To print as a document (1,500 copies)....... 20,840 additional copies, at $1,114.20 per thousand $33, 231. 55 23, 219. 92 56, 451. 47 Total estimated cost, H. Con. Res. 309--Additional information relative to the purposes of House Concurrent Resolution 309 and justification for the expenditure which would be involved may be found in a letter addressed to Senator B. Everett Jordan, chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, by Congressman William V. Roth, Jr., author of H.R. 338 (a bill to create a catalog of Federal assistance programs), which letter is as follows: CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES, Hon. B. EVERETT JORDAN, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Chairman, Committee on Rules and Administration, DEAR MR. JORDAN: I am writing you concerning House Concurrent Resolution 309, which calls for the printing of the "1969 Listing of Operating Federal Assistance Programs Compiled During the Roth Study." This resolution, introduced by the Honorable John H. Dent, chairman of the Printing Subcommittee of the Committee on House Administration, unanimously passed the House of Representatives and I understand it has been referred to your committee in the U.S. Senate. This "1969 Listing" will describe some 1,300 operating Federal assistance programs, administered in the 12 Cabinet departments and 50 independent agencies. Each program description will provide the kind of information potential applicants and beneficiaries need in order to apply for and benefit from all kinds of Federal aideligibility requirements, use restrictions, application procedures, program deadlines, funding information, and precise Washington contacts, including name, address, and telephone number. This information represents the full cooperation and best efforts of the agencies themselves, and the money figures are accurate as of the end of fiscal year 1969. House Concurrent Resolution 309 provides 20 copies of the "1969 Listing" for each Member of the Senate and of the House of Representatives, and an additional 10,000 copies for the Committee on House Administration. The purpose of the extra 10,000 is to provide copies for a general distribution to those most likely to need the catalog. In cooperation with the Committee on House Administration, my office will undertake to send copies to all cities in the United States, all counties, all States, and all universities of a certain size. The "1969 Listing" proves that it is not impossible to provide adequate program information cheaply and thoroughly. The OEO's June 1967 Catalog of Federal Assistance Programs, with 306,171 copies published at a cost of $327,277.05, described some 459 programs. In June 1968, I discussed this effort, pointing out how and why the OEO catalog could be better, and my listing of over 1,050 S. Rept. 91-413 aid programs was placed in the Congressional Record. At the same time, I introduced the Program Information Act (S. 60; H.R. 338 in this Congress), which would provide minimum standards for such a comprehensive catalog. The latest Government-wide catalog of Federal aid programs, the January 1969 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, was published at a cost of $172,486.46. With 200,754 copies printed, the new catalog described only 581 programs, and the kind of program descriptions provided fell far short of the informational standards of the Program Information Act. The OEO catalog did not have precise eligibility requirements, omitted use restrictions, did not contain deadlines or precise contacts, and omitted money figures. After resolving to collect all the information which the latest Government catalog lacked, I now have full descriptions including relevant money figures-for some 1,300 programs, over twice as many as in the OEO's January 1969 catalog. With the assistance of your committee, I hope to have my new listing disseminated for roughly $50,000-one-fourth the cost of the incomplete OEO catalog. I understand the next edition of the OEO catalog is not planned until the spring of next year. Last year, my listing was placed in the Congressional Record, and, because of the great demand for the information, the Congressional Record insert was reprinted later as a House document. This year, I hope my "1969 Listing" can be printed only once, and in the most useful form, as a House document. The information has already been collected and it is timely. I gathered the facts so the people could be fully knowledgeable about Federal aid programs. I hope my listing can now be made available to the public. Sincerely, WILLIAM V. ROTH, Jr. S. Rept. 91-413 Mr. SPARKMAN, from the Committee on Foreign Relations, REPORT [To accompany H.R. 11039] The Committee on Foreign Relations, to which was referred the bill (H.R. 11039) to amend further the Peace Corps Act (75 Stat. 612), as amended, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon with amendments and recommends that the bill as amended do pass. MAIN PURPOSE The basic purpose of H.R. 11039, as amended, is to authorize the appropriation of $92,800,000 for the Peace Corps' fiscal year 1970 operations. Several other amendments to the Peace Corps Act are also added which are described further below. THE PEACE CORPS PROGRAM The following table compares the amount requested with the authorizations and appropriations of prior years: 31-970-69 It is to be noted that the original fiscal year 1970 request submitted by the previous administration was for $109,800,000. The committee was informed that the amended request for $101,100,000 was based on a careful review of Peace Corps programs overseas and a decision of host country and Peace Corps country officials to eliminate activities of marginal benefit in order to strengthen the overall program. As the table above shows, this is not the first time that the Peace Corps has submitted an amended request. In the overall interest of reducing Government spending, the committee voted to decrease further the authorization to $92,800,000. The funds requested are expected to support an estimated total of 12,000 volunteers and trainees in the 1970 program year (September 1, 1969 to August 31, 1970). The Peace Corps expects to train 7,500 new volunteers, an increase of 500 over the past program year. The average cost to the Government of each volunteer is estimated to be $8,505, up $200 from $8,305, during the last program year. The breakdown between volunteer and project costs and administrative expenses is as follows: SUMMARY OF OBLIGATIONS BY ACTIVITY Volunteer and project costs..... Administrative expenses. Total.. 1 Estimated. $19.7 $39.3 $58.4 $65.6 $89.6 $79.8 $78.2 $71.7 101.1 $70.5 (69.7) Note: Figures in parenthesis in percentage. The committee notes that once again the percentage of administrative expenses to project costs has risen. While the committee was told that this rise is entirely due to the costs of Federal pay increases, the committee admonishes the Peace Corps not to become an organization of many chiefs and few Indians. The Peace Corps is presently serving in 60 countries and areas and hopes to be in several more before the end of the program year. By area and countries the volunteers and trainees are distributed as follows: |