The Economic Development Administration's (EDA) comments regarding the questions posed by Commissioner Horn are as follows: As we indicated in a response to an earlier question, 2 designated as plan areas. Within these areas which number about 90 in the United States, a written monthly report is required to be submitted to the Federal Agency which is funding the construction. That report indicates the number of minority manhours worked each month in each trade covered by the plan. The report also indicates whether the minority man-hours equal or exceed the goals set for that trade in that plan area. EDA is monitoring those reports. EDA investigates all discrimination complaints which allege discrimination on the above grounds. Thank you for your patience in awaiting the above comments. Please let me know if you need further information. Sincerely, Danil & Lay David E. Lasky, Director office of Civil Rights Exhibit No. 23 [FACSIMILE] STATEMENT BY ALAN A. BUTCHMAN, DEPUTY SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION BEFORE THE UNITED STATES CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION, ON AGE DISCRIMINATION IN FEDERALLY-ASSISTED PROGRAMS September 27, 1977 Mr. Chairman and members of the Commission: Thank you for your invitation to discuss the Department of Transportation's activities to improve transportation for our Nation's senior citizens. programs. With me today is Martin Convisser, Acting Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety, and Consumer Affairs. The improvement in the quantity and quality of transportation services for this Nation's senior citizens is an important element in the Department of Transportation's Activities that are sponsored by the Department for the achievement of this objective, particularly in the field of mass transportation, include the suuport of (1) research aimed at identifying the transportation problems experienced by senior citizens; (2) development activities aimed at uncovering hardware solutions to physical barriers encountered by the elderly in transportation systems; (3) demonstrations that are designed to develop service strategies as a means of improving the availability of transportation services; (4) planning assistance for transportation planners and providers to enable them to plan and provide transportation services that are geared toward meeting the special transportation needs of senior citizens; and (5) grants to help pay for the cost of purchasing and operating mass transit facilities and equipment for the general public, and especially for the elderly and handicapped. In these efforts, we work closely with the Administration on Aging (AoA). Since 1974, that relationship has been formalized in an interagency agreement between the Department and AoA, which I will describe briefly later in my testimony. Let me now give some specific examples of how the resources of the Department of Transportation are being used to help improve transportation services for the elderly. Research In the area of research, the Department is supporting studies that are designed to (1) identify driver licensing requirements for older drivers; (2) identify motor vehicle design deficiencies that might lead to accidents by elderly and handicapped drivers; and (3) identify driver visual limitations of the elderly driving population and treatment requirements for correcting the vision problems. These are but a few examples of research underway in the Department with respect to transportation for the elderly. Development Secretary Adams' Transbus decision of May 19, 1977 represents a significant outgrowth of a Transbus development project supported by the Department. This decision mandates that all new Federally-financed mass transit buses ordered after September 30, 1979 must have an effective floor height, including a "kneeling" feature, of not more than 18 inches, and a ramp for boarding and exiting far easier for elderly passengers, who often have difficulty in climbing the high steps of current buses. Demonstrations The Department is presently supporting two demonstrations to test the concept of user subsidies for elderly and handicapped persons. We anticipate that by subsidizing the elderly and handicapped's transportation costs, they will be able to obtain needed transportation services directly from existing providers of such services. Under the Rural Highway Public Transportation Demonstration program established by section 147 of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 973, the Department is now supporting a total of 106 demonstration projects in 48 States. The selection and evaluation criteria for application for funds under this program specifically require consideration of the adaptability of transportation systems to the needs of elderly and handicapped persons. Another demonstration project that is being supported by the Department is one which is designed to determine the extent to which transportation for the elderly and handicapped can be improved by coordinating the transportation resources of various social services agencies, public transit agencies, and private transportation providers. Planning Assistance The Urban Mass Transportation Administration and the Federal Highway Administration provide financial and technical planning assistance to approximately 250 metropolitan and 50 State agencies. These agencies are now required to make "special efforts" to plan public mass |