Omwake, Eveline, director, Nursery School, Yale University Child Study Center, letter dated February 9, 1962, to Leo H. Irwin, chief counsel, Oregon, State of, Henry Kane, executive secretary, 1959-60 legislative Ottenberg, Nettie P., letter dated February 14, 1962, to Congressman 639 689 Pagan, Aida G., director, Puerto Rico Department of Health, letter dated 665 Park, Mrs. Edward A., honorary chairman, Maryland Committee on Group Day Care of Children, letter dated February 13, 1962, to Leo H. Peterson, Esther, Assistant Secretary and Director of the Women's Bureau, 608 Practical Value of Social Work Service, paper by Winifred Bell, April 410 Public Assistance Workers Association of Puerto Rico, Norbert O. Santara, 666 Arbona, Dr. Guillermo, statement forwarded by Hon. A. Fernos Isern, Resident Commissioner, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico__. Pagan, Aida G., director, letter dated February 12, 1962, to Congress- Puerto Rico Institute of Family Relations, Dr. Sebastian Cabrer, president, telegram dated February 15, 1962, to Congressman Mills Rexford, Dr. Eveoleen N., Douglas A. Thom Clinic For Children, letter dated February 8, 1962, to Leo H. Irwin, chief counsel, Committee on Rosenwald, Mildred, chairman, Kansas Preschool Association, letter dated February 2, 1962, to U.S. Senator Frank Carlson, of Kansas. Saget, Imanuel, president, Ahavath Chessed Day Nursery, letter dated February 8, 1962, to Leo H. Irwin, chief counsel, Committee on Ways Santara, Norbert O., president, Public Assistance Workers Association of 666 670 628 Simons, Savilla Millis, chairman, ad hoc committee on residence laws, Mobility and progress_- 404 What they say about residence laws. 386 Shipman, Richard C., assistant director, legislative services division, Na- Sister Mary Louis, chairman, Health & Welfare Council of Metropolitan St. Louis, letter dated February 13, 1962, to Congressman Mills... South Carolina State Agency of Vocational Rehabilitation, letter dated Spaulding, Ethel, president, Kansas Preschool Association, letter dated Stern, Esther, letter dated February 12, 1962, to Leo H. Irwin, chief counsel, Committee on Ways and Means. Texas State Department of Public Welfare, John H. Winters, commissioner, 636 684 626 647 Thrift, Margaret, National Association for Nursery Education, letter dated February 13, 1962, to Leo H. Irwin, chief counsel, Committee on Tilley, Mrs. John L., president, Baltimore Association for Preschool Edu- cation, letter dated February 13, 1962, to Leo H. Irwin, chief counsel, Committee on Ways and Means... Tipler, Meryl, president, Wilder Day Nursery Program, letter dated Feb- ruary 9, 1962, to Leo H. Irwin, chief counsel, Committee on Ways and Toledo Day Nursery, Louise A. Dagefoerde, executive director, letter dated February 12, 1962, to Leo H. Irwin, chief counsel, Committee on Topeka Preschool Association, Mrs. J. L. Colton, president, letter dated February 10, 1962, to Leo H. Irwin, chief counsel, Committee on Ways Union Washington Children's Center, numerous signatures follow, letters dated February 12, 1962, to Leo H. Irwin, chief counsel, Committee on United Community Funds & Councils of America, Lyman S. Ford, execu- United Neighborhood Houses of New York, Inc., Helen M. Harris, execu- 650 681 Vermont Department of Education Vocational Rehabilitation Division, Wahlert, Jennie, letter dated February 10, 1962, to Leo H. Irwin, chief Washington, Mrs. John A., letter dated February 12, 1962, to Congressman Welfare Council of Metropolitan Chicago, Irwin J. Askow, letter dated Whiteside, Elizabeth, East Harlem Council for Community Planning, letter dated February 21, 1962, to Leo H. Irwin, chief counsel, Committee on Wickenden, Elizabeth, director, project on public service for families and Wilder Day Nursery Program, Meryl Tipler, director, day nursery pro- Williamson, Kenneth, associate director, American Hospital Association, 648 696 677 410 687 649 Winston, Dr. Ellen, past president, American Public Welfare Association, 448 Winters, John H., commissioner, Texas State Department of Public Wel- 647 Wise, State Senator Henry A., of Watertown, N. Y., statement and excerpt Young Womens Christian Association of Puerto Rico, Carmelina Freire, 610 666 686 PUBLIC WELFARE AMENDMENTS OF 1962 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1962 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D.C. The committee met at 10 a.m., pursuant to notice, in the committee room, New House Office Building, Hon. Wilbur D. Mills (chairman) of the committee) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will please be in order. The committee today is beginning public hearings on the President's proposal "to extend and improve the public assistance and child welfare services program of the Social Security Act." This proposal is in bill form, H.R. 10032, entitled "The Public Welfare Amendments of 1962." Without objection, following this statement, there will be included in the record my press release of February 1, 1962, announcing these hearings, along with the letter of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to the Speaker dated February 1, 1962, the text of the bill, the detailed summary of the bill prepared by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and a comparative print of the Social Security Act, showing the changes made by Public Welfare Amendments of 1962. Is there objections? The Chair hears none. (The material referred to above follows:) [Press release, Feb. 1, 1962, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives] CHAIRMAN WILBUR D. MILLS (DEMOCRAT, OF ARKANSAS), COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, ANNOUNCES PUBLIC HEARINGS ON PRESIDENT'S PROPOSAL TO MAKE CHANGES IN PUBLIC WELFARE PROGRAMS The Honorable Wilbur D. Mills (Democrat, of Arkansas), chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, announces that the Committee on Ways and Means will conduct public hearings, beginning Wednesday, February 7, 1962, to receive testimony on the President's proposal to extend and improve the public assistance and child welfare services programs of the Social Security Act. The chairman today introduced a bill embodying this proposal, H.R. 10032, entitled "The Public Welfare Amendments of 1962," at the request of the administration. Chairman Mills stated that the first witness would be the Honorable Abraham Ribicoff, Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, who would present testimony beginning Wednesday, February 7, 1962, and that testimony would be received from public witnesses beginning on Friday, February 9, 1962. The chairman emphasized that the hearings would be confined to receiving testimony on the specific areas involved in the administration recommendations and that the hearings were not in the nature of general hearings on other areas of the Social Security Act. In the light of this, it will be necessary for those desiring to appear and testify to specify in their requests the specific subjects in the administration bill to which their testimony will be directed. Attached to this press release is a copy of the letter of Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Abraham Ribicoff to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, which indicates the areas of the Social Security Act involved in the proposal, the purpose of the proposal, and the objectives. Important.-Due to the limited time available for these hearings, it will be necessary for all organizations, groups, and individuals with a similar interest and position to designate one spokesman to speak for the group or groups concerned so as to conserve the time of the committee and witnesses and at the same time avoid needless repetitious testimony. This will enable the committee to make more adequate time allocations available to witnesses expressing differing points of view on the specific areas included in the proposals. In cases where there are differences within an organization or group, this fact should be pointed out in the request to be heard and the committee will undertake to schedule spokesmen representing the different points of view. It is emphasized that all persons who desire to do so will be permitted to file written statements for the consideration of the committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearings in lieu of an appearance. Such a statement should include the specific request that it be made a part of the printed record. Important.-Persons desiring to appear and testify before the committee should submit their request to Mr. Leo H. Irwin, Chief Counsel, Committe on Ways and Means, 1102 New House Office Building, Washington 25, D.C., not later than the close of business Wednesday, February 7, 1962. To properly schedule witnesses, it will be necessary for the request to specify : (1) The name, address, and capacity in which the witness will appear; (2) The time the witness desires in which to present his oral testimony; and (3) The specific areas of the administration bill to which the testimony will be directed. Witnesses who are scheduled to appear will be notified as soon as possible after the termination date for receipt of requests to be heard-February 7, 1962. Persons desiring to submit a written statement in lieu of giving testimony in a personal appearance submit the statements not later than Wednesday, February 14, 1962. A minimum of three copies of such statements for inclusion in the printed record of the hearings should be submitted to Mr. Leo H. Irwin, Chief Counsel, Room 1102, New House Office Building, Washington, D.C. Witnesses who are scheduled to appear in person before the committee should, where possible, submit a minimum of 60 copies of their statements for the use of the committee members and staff at least 24 hours in advance of their scheduled appearance. If a witness also desires that his statement be made available to the press and the interested public, it is suggested that at least 60 additional copies be submitted for this purpose to the staff office, room 1102, New House Office Building, on the witness' date of appearance. Persons submitting statements in lieu of an appearance may submit the number noted above if they desire the same distribution. It will be most helpful to the members and staff if written statements contain subject headings on the subjects and points covered and a summary of comments and recommendations. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE, Hon. JOHN W. MCCORMACK, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. SPEAKER: Enclosed is a draft of a bill to extend and improve the public assistance and child welfare services programs of the Social Security Act, and for other purposes. The proposed legislation, which is designated the "Public Welfare Amendments of 1962," would carry out the recommendations made by President Kennedy in his welfare message. Its broad purpose is to provide a new public welfare program described by the President in his state of the Union message as "stressing services instead of support, rehabilitation instead of relief and training for useful work instead of prolonged dependency." A major objective of the bill is to assure that our public welfare programs, while recognizing day-to-day needs, emphasize the return of individuals to the highest degress of self-sufficiency of which they are capable. In order to encourage the States to increase the services provided for this purpose, the Fed eral Government would participate financially in the cost of services designed to prevent or reduce dependency at a higher rate than in regular administrative costs. The Secretary would also be authorized to specify the minimum services which a State is to provide to promote self-support and self-care if it is to have an approved plan. Child welfare services would be gradually broadened to include all areas of the country with appropriate increases in the Federal funds authorized for these services. Separate Federal financial participation in day care for children whose parents are unable, during a part of the day, to provide supervision would be made an aspect of the child-welfare services program. In order to increase the supply of trained personnel available to provide these needed services, States would be encouraged through an increased Federal share to expand their efforts to train welfare personnel. The Secretary would also be authorized directly or through contracts or other arrangements to provide for the training of personnel to work with children in families where the parents are not married and other situations that present serious social problems. The bill would provide for Federal financial participation in payments under the dependent children's program made to needy persons for work done under community work and training programs. Provision would have to be made in the operation of these programs to protect the welfare of the worker and his family and to afford him maximum training opportunities. There would be full utilization of the services of public employment offices, State vocational education and adult education agencies, and of such programs as are contemplated under the administration's proposals with respect to training and retraining of workers. To encourage assistance recipients to participate in the community work and training programs or take regular employment, full consideration of the additional expenses of employment would be required. For a limited number of recipients of assistance under the dependent children's program who have demonstrated that they are so unable to handle money as to endanger the welfare of the dependent child in the family, provision would be made for payments on their behalf to another person interested in their welfare under appropriate conditions. The provision for assistance to children deprived of parental support because of the unemployment of a parent, enacted on a temporary basis in 1961, would be made permanent and the Federal Government would participate in such cases, and in cases where a parent is incapacitated, in payments to both parents, something which is not now possible. The limited provision for Federal financial participation in payments to children in foster-family homes when such children have been removed by court order from their own homes, which was also enacted in 1961 on a temporary basis, would be made permanent and extended to include children in nonprofit private child-care institutions as well as those in foster-family homes. The increase in Federal sharing in payments to the aged, disabled, and the blind which is scheduled to expire June 30, 1962, would be made permanent. The maximum residence requirement which a State may impose for an aged, blind, or disabled person would be reduced and, to encourage complete elimination of residence requirements, there would be a small increase in Federal financial participation if a State eliminated its residence requirements entirely for all of its federally aided public assistance programs. Experimentation and demonstration of new methods of administering public welfare more effectively would be encouraged under provisions of the draft bill. Periodic advisory councils would be provided for to assure careful public review of the entire program from time to time. States wishing to simplify their administration and receive some additional benefit through combining their existing programs for the aged, blind, and disabled and for medical assistance for the aged into a single plan would be afforded the opportunity to do so. You will find enclosed a more detailed summary of the provisions of the bill, including additional provisions not described in the above summary, that are intended to help in achieving the objectives of the legislation. I would appreciate your referring the draft bill to the proper committee for consideration. The Bureau of the Budget advises that enactment of this proposed legislation would be in accord with the program of the President. Sincerely, ABRAHAM RIBICOFF, Secretary. |