CHAPTER II. BILLS REPORTED FROM THE COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND PUBLIC WELFARE The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, which, as amended, is currently effective, lists measures relating to education, labor or public welfare first among those activities to be referred to the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare. Other measures concerned with education and training which are named to be referred to that committee include those relating to vocational rehabilitation, education of veterans, and Howard University. However, the act requires that certain other measures which involve education and training be referred to other named committees of the Senate. For example, the act directs referral of bills relating to the education of Indians to the Senate Committee on Public Lands. In order to show to some extent the volume of education and training legislation considered by the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare in 1967, the following pages will list first, in chronological order of approval by the President, the enactments which, in the eariler forms of bills, were referred to that committee. The acts which in their earlier forms were referred to other committees of the Senate will be listed in a later chapter, likewise in the order of approval of the acts by the President. The reference to hearings are to those printed by February 15, 1968. 1. MENTAL HEALTH AMENDMENTS OF 1967: TRAINING OR DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS (Public Law 90-31, approved June 24, 1967) A. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY H.R. 6431, the Mental Health Amendments of 1967, was introduced on March 1, 1967, by Representative Harley O. Staggers, of West Virginia. The bill was referred to the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. Hearings on the bill were held before the Subcommittee on Public Health and Welfare of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce on April 4 and 5, 1967. The bill was reported in the House on April 25, 1967 (H. Rept. 212). It passed the House on May 17, 1967. It was reported in the Senate, from the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, on June 7, 1967 S. Rept. 294). It passed the Senate on June 8, 1967. It was approved on June 24, 1967 and became Public Law 90-31. B. PROVISION FOR TRAINING Besides its other provisions, Public Law 90-31 adds a new section (sec. 507) to the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 224) reading as follows: 81 Stat. 80. Appropriations to the Public Health Service available for research, training, or demonstration project grants pursuant to this Act shall also be available, on the same terms and conditions as apply to non-Federal institutions, for grants for the same purpose to hospitals of the Service, of the Veterans' Administration, or of the Bureau of Prisons of the Department of Justice, and to Saint Elizabeths Hospital. 2. CONVEYANCE OF LAND TO MEMPHIS STATE UNIVERSITY (Public Law 90-32, approved June 28, 1967) A. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY H.R. 4717 was introduced on February 2, 1967, by Representative Robert A. Everett, of Tennessee. The bill was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. It was reported from that committee on March 15, 1967 (H. Rept. 127). It passed the House on April 3, 1967. In the Senate, hearings on S. 619, a bill similar to H.R. 4717, were held before the Subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs, of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, on April 5, 1967. H.R. 4717 was reported in the Senate, from the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, on June 7, 1967 (S. Rept. 293). It passed the Senate, amended, on June 8, 1967. The House agreed to the Senate amendments on June 21, 1967. The act was approved on June 28, 1967, and became Public Law 90-32. B. DIGEST OF THE ACT The act directs the Administration of Veterans' Affairs to convey without consideration, certain lands owned by the United States to the State of Tennessee for the use of Memphis State University, Memphis, Tenn. Memphis State Uni- Time limitation. C. TEXT OF THE ACT Following is the text of Public Law 90-32: AN ACT To authorize the conveyance of certain lands owned by the Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs is authorized and directed to convey, without consideration, to the State of Tennessee for the use of Memphis State University, Memphis, Tennessee, all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to that tract of land constituting a portion of the grounds of the Kennedy Veterans' Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, including the improvements thereon, containing 129 acres, more or less, and being the same tract of land acquired by the United States for hospital purposes and paid for by the city of Memphis and county of Shelby, Tennessee, and which, upon completion of a new veterans' hospital presently under construction at another site in the city of Memphis, will be excess to the needs of the Veterans' Administration. SEC. 2. (a) The conveyance authorized by the first section of this Act shall be made not later than December 31, 1970, and may be made at any time prior to such date if the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs determines that the property to be conveyed is no longer needed by the Veterans' Administration. (b) The Administrator of Veterans' Affairs is authorized to convey any portion or portions of the tract referred to in the first section of this Act prior to the time that he determines that the entire tract is no longer needed by the Veterans' Administration, if he determines that (1) such portion or portions are no Conditions. longer needed by the Veterans' Administration, (2) the conveyance of such portion or portions will not interfere with activities of the Veterans' Administration still being carried out on the lands at the Veterans' Administration not yet conveyed, and (3) the conveyance of such portion or portions will facilitate the conversion of such property to educational uses by Memphis State University. SEC. 3. Any deed of conveyance made pursuant to this Act shall contain such additional terms, conditions, reservations, easements, and restrictions as may be determined by the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to be necessary to protect the interest of the United States. SEC. 4. The property conveyed pursuant to this Act shall be Use of property. used solely for educational purposes, and if such property is ever used for purposes other than educational purposes, title thereto shall revert to, and become the property of, the United States, which shall have the right of immediate entry thereon. SEC. 5. Memphis State University shall pay the cost of such Surveys cost. surveys as may be necessary to determine the exact legal description of the real property to be conveyed and shall bear all other expenses in connection with the preparation and recording of the necessary legal documents. 3. EDUCATION PROFESSIONS DEVELOPMENT ACT (Public Law 90-35, approved June 29, 1967) A. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY In the House, hearings on Higher Education Amendments of 1967 (including bills to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965) were held before the Special Subcommittee on Education of the Committee on Education and Labor on April 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 27, 28, and May 2, 1967. In the Senate, hearings on Education Legislation, 1967 (including bills to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965) were held before the Subcommittee on Education of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare on April 26, May 25, and June 23, 1967. H.R. 10943, the Education Professions Development Act, a bill to amend and extend title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965, was introduced on June 16, 1967, by Representative Carl D. Perkins, of Kentucky (chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor) and other Representatives. The bill was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor. A similar bill, S. 2028, was introduced on June 27, 1967, by Senator Wayne Morse, of Oregon (chairman of the Subcommittee on Educa 91-165 0-68-pt. 1- -2 tion, of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare). This bill was referred to the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare. H.R. 10943 was reported from the Committee on Education and Labor on June 20, 1967 (H. Rept. 373). It passed the House on June 27, 1967. S. 2028 was reported from the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare on June 27, 1967 (S. Rept. 363). On June 28, 1967, the Senate passed H.R. 10943 in lieu of S. 2028. The act was approved on June 29, 1967 and became Public Law 90-35. B. SOME PRESS COMMENTS In reporting the approval of Public Law 90-35, the New York Times of June 30, 1967, drew attention to the provision made for extension of the Teacher Corps for 3 years. The Times article stated that: *** At its peak a month ago, the corps had 1,227 members, volunteers who teach or assist in teaching in urban and rural slum schools while working on master's degrees in nearby colleges. At least 100 are known to have left. Concerning provisions of Public Law 90-35, "Here's the Issue," a publication by the legislative branch of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, dated December 15, 1967, commented in part: *** The controversial Teacher Corps program was enacted, after several amendments designed to ensure local control over the program had reduced much of the opposition in the House. The bill authorized $33 million in fiscal 1968, $46 million in fiscal 1969, and $56 million in fiscal 1970 for the Teachers Corps-providing an estimated 6,000, 7,500 and 9,600 volunteers for each of the years. "Higher Education and National Affairs," a publication of the American Council on Education, dated June 30, 1967, pointed out that: *** President Johnson signed the bill June 29-1 day before the Teacher Corps was scheduled to expire-while visiting a job training center in Philadelphia, saying that he hoped to double the corps by next fall. *** Although attention centered on the Teacher Corps, the bulk of the money in the overall billion-dollar bill is authorized for other teacher training programs. It authorizes a new 2-year program, starting in mid-1968, for institutes, subdoctoral fellowships, traineeships and other programs to train college teachers, administrators and education specialists. Other parts of the bill would merge present NDEA institutes for school teachers and guidance counselors into a broader program for training elementary and secondary school personnel; extend and broaden the present fellowship program for elementary-secondary teachers; and establish new programs, starting in mid-1968, to attract, recruit and provide short-term training for a variety of teaching personnel for the schools. C. DIGEST OF THE ACT Following is a summary of Public Law 90-35: The act states its purpose as being to improve the quality of teaching and to help meet critical shortages of adequately trained educational personnel by: (1) developing information on the actual needs for educational personnel; (2) providing high quality training oppor tunities; (3) attracting a greater number of qualified persons into the teaching profession; (4) attracting persons who can stimulate creativity in the arts and other skills to undertake assignments in education; and (5) helping to make educational personnel training programs more responsive to the needs of the schools and colleges. The act directs the President to appoint a 15-member National Advisory Council on Education Professions Development to review the operation of all Federal programs for the training and development of educational personnel. It directs the Commissioner of Education to make a periodic appraisal of the Nation's existing and future personnel needs in the field of education. Provision is made for the following programs: (1) a program of grants and contracts with State or local educational agencies or other institutions which will engage in activities which will attract qualified persons to the field of education; (2) an expansion of the Teacher Corps program to include, among other things, (a) an increased allocation of such teachers for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and an allocation for schools for Indian children, and (b) an increase in the rates of compensation for the teachers; (3) a program of assistance to educational agencies which provide education for children of migratory agricultural workers; (4) a program of grants to States to enable them to support efforts of local communities in, (a) attracting teachers, and (b) increasing the effectiveness of classroom teachers; (5) a program of grants and contracts with institutions of higher education and State and local educational agencies for projects to improve the qualifications of persons serving or preparing to serve in educational programs in elementary and secondary schools (including preschool and adult and vocational education programs) or postsecondary vocational schools, or to supervise or train persons so serving; (6) a program of grants and contracts with institutions of higher education to assist them in training persons who are serving or preparing to serve as teachers, administrators, or educational specialists in institutions of higher education. The act increases the authority of the Commissioner of Education in the awarding of fellowships for study leading to an advanced degree for persons pursuing or who plan to pursue a career in elementary and secondary education or postsecondary vocational education. The teacher fellowships program is extended to include graduate education for preschool and adult and vocational education personnel. Appropriation of funds to carry out the various programs under the act are authorized. D. TEXT OF THE ACT Following is the text of Public Law 90-35: AN ACT To amend and extend title V of the Higher Education Act of Higher Education 1965 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That it is the purpose of this Act to coordinate, broaden, and strengthen programs for the training and improvement of the qualifications of teachers and other educational personnel for all levels of the American educational system so as to provide a better founda Act of 1965, amendment. |