(g) No funds provided under this title may be used to assist in the construction of any facility which is or will be used for religious worship or any sectarian activity.

(h) When in any State funds provided under this title will be used for providing direct services to handicapped individuals or for establishing facilities which will provide such services, such services must be carried out in a manner not inconsistent with the State plan approved pursuant to section 101.

(i) Prior to making any grant or entering into any contract under this title, the Commissioner shall afford reasonable opportunity to the appropriate State agency or agencies designated pursuant to section 101 to comment on such grant or contract.

(j) With respect to any obligation issued by or on behalf of any public agency for which the issuer has elected to receive the benefits of mortgage insurance under section 303 or annual interest grants under section 304, the interest paid on such obligations and received by the purchaser thereof (or his successor in interest) shall be included in gross income for the purposes of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.

(k) Funds appropriated to carry out this title shall remain available until expended.

TITLE III-ADMINISTRATION AND PROGRAM AND PROJECT

EVALUATION

ADMINISTRATION

SEC. 300. (a) In carrying out his duties under this Act, the Commissioner shall

(1) cooperate with, and render technical assistance (directly or by grant or contract) to, States in matters relating to the rehabilitation of handicapped individuals;

(2) provide short-term training and instruction in technical matters relating to vocational rehabilitation services, including the establishment and maintenance of such research fellowships and traineeships, with such stipends and allowances (including travel and subsistence expenses), as he may deem necessary, except that no such training or instruction (or fellowship or scholarship) shall be provided any individual for any one course of study for a period in excess of four years, and such training, instruction, fellowships, and traineeships may be in the fields of rehabilitation medicine, rehabilitation nursing, rehabilitation counseling, rehabilitation social work, rehabilitation psychology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology and audiology, prosthetic and orthotics, recreation for ill and handicapped individuals, and other specialized fields contributing to the rehabilitation of handicapped individuals; and

(3) disseminate information relating to vocational and comprehensive rehabilitation services, and otherwise promote the cause of the rehabilitation of handicapped individuals and their greater utilization in gainful and suitable employment.

(b) The Secretary is authorized to make rules and regulations governing the administration of this title and titles IV and V of this Act, and to delegate to any officer or employee of the United States such of his powers and duties under such titles, except the making of rules and regulations, as he finds necessary to carry out the provisions of such titles. Such rules and regulations, as well as those prescribed by the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration under titles I and II of this Act shall be published in the Federal Register, on at least an interim basis, no later than ninety days after the date of enactment of this Act.

(c) The Secretary is authorized (directly or by grants or contracts) to conduct studies, investigations, and evaluation of the programs authorized by this Act, and to make reports, with respect to ability, aptitudes, and capacities of handicapped individuals, development of their potentialities, their utilization in gainful and suitable employment, and with respect to architectural, transportation, and other environmental and attitudinal barriers to their rehabilitation, including the problems of homebound, institutionalized, and older blind individuals.

(d) There is authorized to be included for each fiscal year in the appropriation for the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare such sums as are. necessary to administer the provisions of this Act.

(e) In carrying out their duties under this Act, the Secretary and the Com-missioner, respectively, shall insure the maximum coordination and consultation, at both national and local levels, with the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs and his designees with respect to programs for and relating to the rehabilitation of disabled veterans carried out under title 38, United States Code.

PROGRAM AND PROJECT EVALUATION

SEC. 301. (a) (1) The Secretary shall measure and evaluate the impact of all programs authorized by this Act, in order to determine their effectiveness in achieving stated goals in general, and in relation to their cost, their impact on related programs, and their structure and mechanisms for delivery of services, including, where appropriate, comparisons with appropriate control groups composed of persons who have not participated in such programs. Evaluations shall be conducted by persons not immediately involved in the administration of the program or project evaluated.

(2) In carrying out his responsibilities under this subsection, the Secretary, in the case of research, demonstrations, and related activities carried out under section 200, shall, after taking into consideration the views of State agencies designated pursuant to section 101, on an annual basis

(A) reassess priorities to which such activities should be directed; and (B) review present research, demonstration, and related activities to determine, in terms of the purpose specified for such activities by subsection (a) of such section 200, whether and on what basis such activities should be continued, revised, or terminated.

(3) The Secretary shall, within 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act, and on each April 1 thereafter, prepare and furnish to the appropriate committees of the Congress a complete report on the determination and review carried out under paragraph (2) of this subsection, together with such recommendations, including any recommendations for additional legislation, as he deems appropriate.

(b) Effective after January 1, 1974, before funds for the programs and projects covered by this Act are released, the Secretary shall develop and publish general standards for evaluation of the program and project effectiveness in achieving the objectives of this Act. He shall consider the extent to which such standards have been met in deciding, in accordance with procedures set forth in subsections (b), (c), and (d) of section 101, whether to renew or supplement financial assistance authorized under any section of this Act. Reports submitted pursuant to section 304 shall describe the action taken as a result of these evaluations.

(c) In carrying out evaluations under this title, the Secretary shall, whenever possible, arrange to obtain the specific views of persons participating in and served by programs and projects assisted under this Act about such programs and projects.

(d) The Secretary shall publish the results of evaluative research and summaries of evaluations of program and project impact and effectiveness no later than ninety days after the completion thereof. The Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of the Congress copies of all such research studies and evaluation summaries.

(e) The Secretary shall take the necessary action to assure that all studies, evaluations, proposals, and data produced or developed with assistance under this Act shall become the property of the United States.

OBTAINING INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES

SEC. 302. Such information as the Secretary may deem necessary for purposes of the evaluations conducted under this title shall be made available to him, upon request, by the agencies of the executive branch of the Government.

AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

SEC. 303. There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as the Secretary may require for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1974, and June 30, 1975, to conduct program and project evaluations required by this title.

REPORTS

SEC. 304. Not later than one hundred and twenty days after the close of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the President and to the Congress a full and complete report on the activities carried out under this Act. Such annual reports shall include (1) statistical data reflecting, with the maximum feasible detail, vocational and comprehensive rehabilitation services provided handicapped individuals during the preceding fiscal year, (2) specifically distinguish among rehabilitation closures attributable to physical restoration, placement in competitive employment, extended or terminal employment in a sheltered workshop or rehabilitation facility, employment as a homemaker or unpaid family worker, and provision of comprehensive rehabilitation services, and (3) include a detailed evaluation of services provided with assistance under title I of this Act.

SHELTERED WORKSHOP STUDY

SEC. 305. (a) The Secretary shall conduct an original study of the role of sheltered workshops in the rehabilitation and employment of handicapped individuals, including a study of wage payments in sheltered workshops. The study shall incorporate guidelines which are consistent with criteria provided in resolutions adopted by the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare of the United States Senate or the Committee on Education and Labor of the United States House of Representatives, or both.

(b) The study shall include site visits to sheltered workshops, interviews with handicapped trainees or clients, and consultations with interested individuals and groups and State agencies designated pursuant to section 101.

(c) Any contracts awarded for the purpose of carrying out all or part of this study shall not be made with individuals or groups with a financial or other direct interest in sheltered workshops.

(d) The Secretary shall report to the Congress his findings and recommendations with respect to such study within twenty-four months after the date of enactment of this Act.

TITLE IV-OFFICE FOR THE HANDICAPPED

ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE

SEC. 400. There is established within the Office of the Secretary in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare an Office for the Handicapped (hereinafter in this title referred to as the "Office"). The Office shall be headed by a Director, who shall serve as a Special Assistant to the Secretary and shall report directly to him, and shall be provided such personnel as are necessary to carry out the functions set forth in section 401. In selecting personnel to fill all positions in the Office, the Secretary shall give special emphasis to qualified handicapped individuals.

FUNCTION OF OFFICE

SEC. 401. It shall be the function of the Office, with the assistance of agencies within the Department, other departments and agencies within the Federal Government, handicapped individuals, and public and private agencies and organizations, to

(1) prepare and submit to the Secretary, for submission to the Congress within 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, a longrange projection for the provision of comprehensive services to handicapped individuals and for programs of research, evaluation, and training related to such services and individuals;

(2) analyze on a continuing basis and submit to the Secretary, for inclusion in his report submitted under section 304, a report on the results of such analysis, program operation to determine consistency with applicable provisions of law, progress toward meeting the goals and priorities set forth in the projection required under clause (1), the effectiveness of all programs providing services to handicapped individuals, and the elimination of unnecessary duplication and overlap in such programs under the jurisdiction of the Secretary;

(3) encourage coordinated and cooperative planning designed to produce maximum effectiveness, sensitivity, and continuity in the provision of serv

ices for handicapped individuals by all programs under the jurisdiction of the Secretary;

(4) provide assistance (including staff assistance) to committees advising the Secretary on programs for handicapped individuals;

(5) develop means of promoting the prompt utilization of engineering and other scientific research to assist in solving problems in education (including promotion of the development of curriculums stressing barrier free design and the adoption of such curriculums by schools of architecture, design, and engineering), health, employment, rehabilitation, architectural and transportation barriers, and other areas so as to bring about the full integration of handicapped individuals into all aspects of society;

(6) provide a central clearinghouse for information and resource availability for handicapped individuals through (A) the evaluation of systems within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, other departments and agencies of the Federal Government, public and private agencies and organizations, and other sources, which provide (i) information and data regarding the location, provision, and availability of services and programs for handicapped individuals, regarding research and recent medical and scientific developments bearing on handicapped conditions (and their prevention, amelioration, causes, and cures), and regarding the current numbers of handicapped individuals and their needs, and (ii) any other such relevant information and data which the Office deems necessary; and (B) utilizing the results of such evaluation and existing information systems the development within such Department of a coordinated system of information and data retrieval which will have the capacity and responsibility to provide general and specific information regarding the information and data referred to in subclause (A) of this clause to the Congress, public and private agencies and organizations, handicapped individuals and their families, professionals in fields serving such individuals, and the general public; and

(7) carry out such additional advisory function and responsibilities, consistent with the provisions of this title, as may be assigned to it by the Secretary or the President, except that such function or any other function carried out under clauses (1) through (5) of this section shall not include budgetary, policy, or program control by the Office over any program.

AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

SEC. 402. There is authorized to be appropriated for the carrying out of the purposes of this title, such sums as may be necessary for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1974, and June 30, 1975.

TITLE V-MISCELLANEOUS

EFFECT ON EXISTING LAWS

SEC. 500. (a) The Vocational Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 31 et seq.) is repealed effective July 1, 1973, and references to such Vocational Rehabilitation Act in any other provision of law shall, after June 30, 1973, be deemed to be references to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Unexpended appropriations for carrying out the Vocational Rehabilitation Act may be made available to carry out this Act as directed by the President. Approved State plans for vocational rehabilitation, approved projects, and constractual arrangements authorized under the Vocational Rehabilitation Act will be recognized under comparable provisions of this Act so that there is no disruption of ongoing activities for which there is continuing authority.

(b) The authorizations of appropriations in the Vocational Rehabilitation Act are hereby extendoed at the level specified for the fiscal year 1972 for the fiscal year 1973.

(c) This Act shall become effecitve July 1, 1973, except that subsection (b) of this section shall be effective as of July 1, 1972.

ARCHITECTURAL AND TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS COMPLIANCE BOARD

SEC. 501. (a) There is established within the Federal Government the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (hereinafter referred

to as the "Board") which shall be composed of the heads of each of the following departments or agencies (or their designees whose positions are Executive Level IV or higher):

(1) Department of Health, Education, and Welfare;

(2) Department of Transportation;

(3) Department of Housing and Urban Development;

(4) Department of Labor;

(5) Department of the Interior;

(6) General Services Arministration;

(7) United States Postal Service; and

(8) Veterans' Administration.

(b) It shall be the function of the Board to (1) insure compliance with the standards prescribed by the General Services Administration, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development pursuant to the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-480), as amended by the Act of March 5, 1970 (Public Law 91-205); (2) investigate and examine alternative approaches to the architectural, transporation, and attitudinal barriers confronting handicapped individuals, particularly with respect to public buildings and monuments, parks and parklands, public transportation (including air, water, and surface transportation whether interstate, foreign, intrastate, or local), and residential and institutional housing; (3) determine what measures are being taken by Federal, State, and local governments and by other public or nonprofit agencies to eliminate the barriers described in clause (2) of this subsection; (4) promote the use of the International Accessibility Symbol in all public facilities that are in compliance with the standards prescribed by the Administrator of the General Services Administration, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development pursuant to the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968; (5) make reports to the President and to Congress which shall describe in detail the results of its investigations under clauses (2) and (3) of this subsection; and (6) make to the President and to the Congress such recommendations for legislation and administration as it deems necessary or desirable to eliminate the barriers described in clause (2) of this subsection.

(c) The Board shall also (1) (A) determine how and to what extent transportation barriers impede the mobility of handicapped individuals and aged handicapped individuals and consider ways in which travel expenses in connection with transportation to and from work for handicapped individuals can be met or subsidized when such individuals are unable to use mass transit systems or need special equipment in private transportation, and (B) consider the housing needs of handicapped individuals; (2) determine what measures are being taken, especially by public and other nonprofit agencies and groups having an interest in and a capacity to deal with such problems, (A) to eliminate barriers from public transportation systems (including vehicles used in such systems), and to prevent their incorporation in new or expanded transportation systems and (B) to make housing available and accessible to handicapped individuals or to meet sheltered housing needs; and (3) prepare plans and proposals for such further actions as may be necessary to the goals of adequate transportation and housing for handicapped individuals, including proposals for bringing together in a cooperative effort, agencies, organizations, and groups already working toward such goals or whose cooperation is essential to effective and comprehensive action.

(d) In carrying out its function under this section, the Board shall conduct investigations, hold public hearings, and issue such orders as it deems necessary to insure compliance with the provisions of the Acts cited in subsection (b). The provisions of subchapter II of chapter 5, and chapter 7 of title 5, United States Code, shall apply to procedures under this section, and an order of compliance issued by the Board shall be a final order for purposes of judicial review.

(e) The Board is authorized to appoint as many hearing examiners as are necessary for proceedings required to be conducted under this section. The provisions applicable to hearing examiners appointed under section 3105 of title 5, United States Code, shall apply to hearing examiners appointed under this subsection.

(f) The departments or agencies specified in subsection (a) of this subsection (a) of this section shall make available to the Board such technical, administrative. or other assistance as it may require to carry out its functions under this section, and the Board may appoint such other advisers, technical experts, and consultants as it deems necessary to assist it in carrying out its functions under