BACKGROUND

According to testimony presented to the committee during hearings on S. 740, there are approximately 10 million Spanish-speaking and Spanish-surnamed Americans in the United States, of whom six and a half million reside in the Southwestern States of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. Nearly 80 percent of these persons work in unskilled or semiskilled jobs; nearly 50 percent of all Spanishspeaking families fall below the poverty line of $3,200 annual income; most of them barely complete the eighth grade and many are functionally illiterate; and they own less than I percent of the businesses in the United States.

Establishment of Committee

In an effort to improve the social and economic plight of these Spanish-speaking and Spanish-surnamed Americans, President Lyndon B. Johnson, by Presidential memorandum dated June 9, 1967, established a Cabinet Committee, designated as the Interagency Committee on Mexican-American Affairs. Noting that the time had come to focus our efforts more intensely on the Mexican Americans of our Nation, the President stated that the purpose of the Committee was "to assure that Federal programs are reaching the Mexican Americans and providing the assistance they need; and [to] seek out new programs that may be necessary to handle problems that are unique to the Mexican American community." He stated further that he was also asking members of the Committee "to meet with Mexican Americans, to review their problems and to hear from them what their needs are, and how the Federal Government can best work with State and local governments, with private industry, and with the Mexican Americans themselves in solving those problems."

Initially, the President appointed to the Committee the Secretaries of Agriculture, HEW; HUD; and Labor; the Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity; and a member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, familiar with Mexican American problems, who was appointed Chairman. The Secretary of Commerce was subsequently added to the Committee. The Committee was funded by contributions from its member agencies. The approved level of spending for fiscal year 1969 was $485,000 and for fiscal year 1970, $510,000.

Committee's activities, 1967-69

In general, the Interagency Committee has served as the central liaison point between the Spanish-speaking and Spanish-surnamed communities and the Federal Government. Its principal activities during the past 2 years may be summarized as follows:

1. Providing technical assistance to Federal agencies which have either grant-in-aid or direct programs of significance to the community so that these programs will match the real needs of the community; 2. Providing technical assistance to community organizations seeking program assistance from the Federal Government;

3. As the occasion demands, matching the needs of the community with both private and public resources outside the community;

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4. Providing research and statistical assistance to Federal agencies' serving as a clearinghouse for the agencies and the community with respect to developments in this field;

5. Alerting Federal agencies to the largely untapped personnel resources of the community and supplying placement assistance; and 6. Assisting Federal agencies in the communications field so that the Government can, in a meaningful way, let the community know what services are available.

HEARINGS

Hearings on S. 740 were held by the Subcommittee on Executive Reorganization on June 11 and 12, 1969. Testimony was received from Senators Joseph M. Montoya, Ralph W. Yarborough, and Barry M. Goldwater; Vincent T. Ximenes, Commissioner, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and former Chairman, Interagency Committee on Mexican-American Affairs; Martin G. Castillo, Chairman, Interagency Committee on Mexican-American Affairs; and Manuel Diaz, Jr., deputy commissioner, Manpower and Career Development Agency, Human Resources Administration, city of New York. Statements were submitted for the record by Senators Lee Metcalf, George Murphy, Edmund S. Muskie, John G. Tower, and other interested parties. All of the witnesses, as well as the executive branch agencies from which reports were requested, supported the bill and recommended its enactment. (Agency comments have been incorporated into the hearing record as exhibit No. 11.)

In general, the testimony presented consisted primarily of (1) detailed information, supported by statistical data and studies, depicting the plight of some 10 million Spanish-speaking and Spanish-surnamed Americans relative to education, employment, housing, and income; (2) a review of the work and accomplishments of the Interagency Committee since its inception; and (3) a discussion of the necessity for the establishment of a permanent agency with its own financial resources to handle these problems.

Senators Montoya and Goldwater discussed several amendments which they felt were necessary to enable the proposed Committee to function effectively. These amendments are discussed below.

EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENTS

The committee adopted a number of amendments which incorporated recommendations of Senators Montoya, Goldwater, and other witnesses during the hearings on the bill. In general, they were designed to clarify the scope and coverage of the measure, give broader representation to all elements of the Spanish-American community, and strengthen the organization and operation of the Cabinet Committee. S. 740, as introduced, referred only to Spanish-Americans and Spanish-surnamed Americans. In order to eliminate confusion and misunderstanding the bill was amended to indicate clearly that the new agency would be concerned with the problems of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and all other Spanish-speaking and Spanishsurnamed Americans.

S. 740, as introduced, retained the existing name of the Interagency Committee on Mexican-American Affairs. The committee found that

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the existing agency was serving the needs of all Spanish Americans and had never limited its activities to Mexican Americans. Knowledgeable witnesses advised the committee that the existing name was confusing and that many Spanish Americans who are not of Mexican extraction felt that the body was not concerned with them or their problems. Accordingly, the committee adopted an amendment changing the name of the Committee from "Interagency Committee on Mexican-American Affairs" to "Cabinet Committee on Opportunities for Spanish-Speaking People."

Testimony at the hearings indicated that although Federal employment was an important factor in improving the economic conditions of Spanish Americans, the Federal Government employs only a relatively small number. In order to focus greater attention on this aspect, the committee adopted an amendment making the Chairman of the U.S. Civil Service Commission a member of the proposed Cabinet Committee.

S. 740, as introduced, provided that the Chairman of the Committee would be the Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission most concerned with Mexican-American affairs. In order to give status to the Chairman and insure his independence and fulltime attention to his responsibilities, the committee adopted an amendment (1) providing for the appointment of the Chairman by the President, subject to Senate confirmation, from among individuals who are recognized for their knowledge of and familiarity with the special problems and needs of the Spanish speaking; (2) prohibiting the Chairman from holding any other Federal office or position; and (3) requiring that he serve as chief officer of the Committee in a full-time capacity. Testimony during the hearings revealed that the existing Committee met three times in 1967 and only twice in 1968. In view of the importance of the work and responsibilities of the Committee relative to some 10 million Americans, it was felt that a minimum of four meetings each year should be required and the committee adopted an amendment to that effect. In this connection, Senator Montoya, the sponsor of the bill, stressed the fact that this should not be interpreted as a maximum limitation or as a guideline with respect to the number of meetings each year. In general, it was felt that this should represent a bare minimum and that meetings should occur as often as necessary. Expressing agreement with witnesses who testified that representation of Spanish-speaking Americans throughout the Nation should be broader than that which can be achieved through membership on the Cabinet Committee, the committee adopted an amendment establishing an Advisory Council on Spanish-Speaking Americans. This Council would be composed of nine members appointed by the President from among individuals who are representative of the Mexican American, Puerto Rican American, Cuban American, and other elements of the Spanish-speaking and Spanish-surnamed community in the United States, which would advise the Cabinet Committee with respect to such matters as the Committee Chairman may request.

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