EIGHTY-SIXTH CONGRESS (1959 AND 1960)

Appointed on Mar. 19, 1959, under the provisions of Public Law 86–1, approved Feb. 17, 1959, which increased the membership of the Joint Committee from 14 to 16.

Appointed on Feb. 18, 1959, under the provisions of Public Law 86-1, approved Feb. 17, 1959, which increased the membership of the Joint Committee from 14 to 16. EIGHTY-SEVENTH CONGRESS (1961 AND 1962)

Appointed Jan. 12, 1965, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Senator Pell.

'Public Law 90-2, Jan. 25, 1967, increasing membership of the Joint Committee.

NINETY-FIRST CONGRESS (1969 AND 1970)

Appointed June 16, 1969, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Representative Rumsfeld.

Entitles this Act the "Equal Opportunity and Full Employment Act of 1976."

SECTION 2.-DECLARATION OF POLICY

(a) Declares that all adult Americans able and willing to work have the right to equal opportunities for useful paid employment.

(b) The right to full employment by all Americans is in the interest of the economy, the Nation, society and individuals.

(c) Only under full employment, can society's inequities be eliminated.

(d) Without full employment the country is deprived of goods, services, and tax revenues thus adding to inflationary pressures, reducing job security, and weakening individual freedoms and family strengths.

(e) The Federal Government is responsible for guaranteeing the right to equal opportunity for useful paid employment and for ensuring that national full employment is attained and maintained.

(f) Other national economic goals shall be pursued without limiting the rights established by this act.

SECTION 3.-THE FULL EMPLOYMENT AND PRODUCTION PROGRAM

(a) Requires that the President annually report to the Congress his or her full employment and production program including the estimated volume of goods and services necessary to meet human and national needs; the estimated level of employment necessary to meet that volume of goods and services; the estimated level of expenditures necessary to provide that level of employment; the modifications in employment and expenditure patterns necessary to meet necessary conversions in military and industrial activities; a review of administrative and legislative action taken or contemplated; and a review of related economic considerations.

(b) Requires that the annual manpower reports of the President be renamed the Labor Reports of the President and provide detailed attention to the changing volume and composition of the American labor supply; the loss of productive labor power resulting from discrimination; the need for greater part-time employment opportunities; the implications of continuing full employment for increases in voluntary leisure time arrangements;' the associated problems of the nature, environment and conditions of work; and the implications of the reservoir of public service and private employment projects developed by local planning councils.

SECTION 4.-LOCAL PLANNING COUNCILS

(a) Congress recognizes that local needs can best be identified by localities, and that to meet its functions, officials and agencies of the Federal Government need the continued involvement of local individuals, organizations, and governments.

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(b) Amends the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act of 1973 by adding to the functions and responsibilities of the Local Planning Councils, as part of local governments, the requirement to identify additional local public and private employment opportunities and to assist in the monitoring and evaluation of programs conducted under this act.

(c) Requires each Local Planning Council, under the regulations of the Secretary of Labor, to provide for the establishment of community job boards which would supply public service job opportunities at the community level through the creation of community public service work reservoirs and the establishment of the Standby Job Corps.

SECTION 5.-UNITED STATES FULL EMPLOYMENT SERVICE

(a) The U.S. Employment Service is renamed the U.S. Full Employment Service.

(b) Assigns to the U.S. Full Employment Service responsibility for assisting local planning councils in the establishment of the reservoir of public service and private employment projects.

(c) Creates a Job Guarantee Office within the U.S. Full Employment Service whose responsibilities it is to provide useful employment to all adult Americans willing and able to

work.

(d) Requires that the Job Guarantee Office, in planning employment projects, ensure that adequate consideration be given to individuals and groups who have encountered special obstacles in finding and holding useful and rewarding employment.

(e) In order to draw upon the reservoir of public service and private employment projects, authorizes the Job Guarantee Office to enter into grants and contracts with public and private agencies and organizations, operating on a profit, nonprofit or limited profit basis; establishes certain conditions which must be met by agencies or organizations entering into such agreements.

(f) Requires that the Job Guarantee Office ensure suitable job opportunities, comparable to those afforded job seekers registered in the Standby Job Corps, for any persons willing and able to work and requires certain referral and registration procedures and regulations to ensure such action.

(g) States that any person who presents him or herself in person at the Full Employment Office shall be considered "willing and able" to work, regardless of physical or mental handicap; requires that regulations provide for an initial determination of a job seeker's ability to work; requires compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964; establishes administrative appeal procedures; and for termination of appeal procedure within 20 days; and it requires the placement of job seekers in Standby Job Corps despite any pending appeal or judicial reviews which may be made under these procedures.

(h) Requires that the Federal district courts have jurisdiction over actions which seek relief pursuant to this act.

SECTION 6.-STANDBY JOB CORPS

(a) Establishes a Standby Job Corps as part of responsibility of Job Guarantee Office to ensure suitable job opportunities for registered job seekers, who shall perform public service work upon projects that are part of community public service work reservoirs.

(b) Requires the Secretary of Labor to issue regulations which provide the means by which Corps members may maintain a status of good standing by, among other things, performance and attendance; to establish a system of compensation which meets certain provisions including pay relative to training and ability; to provide local planning and control, to the fullest extent possible, of local Standby Job Corps programs; to develop and enforce

antidiscrimination provisions; to exercise reasonable oversight of Standby Job Corps projects; and to ensure that activities undertaken shall not adversely affect prevailing local wage rates.

SECTION 7.-CONGRESSIONAL JOINT ECONOMIC COMMITTEE

(a) Requires that the Joint Economic Committee shall review the activities of the executive branch in meeting the provisions of this act; conduct public hearings in as many local labor markets as feasible; and annually report upon the development and administration of the provisions of this act.

(b) Requires that, within 30 days of submission to Congress of the biyearly full employment and production program of the President, the Committee review the report and submit its proposed modifications, with comments to each House of the Congress; submit recommendations to the Congress on the sums necessary to finance such programs; that the President's report with the modifications, comments and recommendations of the Joint Economic Committee be forwarded to the Appropriations Committees of the respective Houses of Congress. It also specifies that after 30 days a motion for immediate consideration of the Joint Economic Committee's employment deficit recommendation shall be highly privileged; that after such a motion, it shall be in order to consider the employment deficit recommendation together with changes proposed by the Appropriations Committees; and that 3 days afterwards a vote on final passage shall be ordered.

SECTION 8.-STAGES OF IMPLEMENTATION

(a) Congress recognizes that the full objectives of this act cannot be immediately achieved; that considerable time will be needed for its full implementation; and that the act must therefore be implemented in stages.

(b) Requires that the President provide for the full implementation of this act within no more than 5 years after its enactment.

(c) Establishes as Federal policy that the objectives of this act be reached within 5 years of its enactment and that the annual Full Employment and Production Programs Report of the President, include targets for these objectives and that local job councils shall do likewise in their respective geographical areas.

SECTION 9.-NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR FULL EMPLOYMENT

(a) Congress recognizes many Federal activities are based on a presumption of a lack of suitable employment opportunities for many people willing and able to work; that these Federal officials and agencies responsible for the implementation of this act need the benefit of studies of the changes necessary for Federal programs to more closely relate to and support the objectives of this act.

(b) Establishes a National Institute of Full Employment within the Department of Labor, headed by a Director.

(c) Provides that the Director shall serve for a term of 3 years; that compensation shall be at the rate of GS-18; that a Deputy Director shall be appointed; and that for a period of up to 3 years technical and professional employees may be appointed without regard to competitive civil service regulations but their numbers shall not exceed one-fifth of all regular full-time employees of the Institute.

(d) Creates a National Commission for Full Employment Policy Studies which shall be composed of broadly representative public and private members, provided with necessary staff, meet quarterly; select officers; advise and consult with the Director of the Institute, consult with the Council of Economic Advisors and perform other related functions.