MONDAY, MARCH 14, 1966. OFFICE OF FIELD ADMINISTRATION WITNESSES EDMUND BAXTER, DIRECTOR OF FIELD COORDINATION 1 Selected resources as of June 30 are as follows: Unpaid undelivered orders, 1964, $48,000; 1965, $60,000; 1966, $40,000; 1967, $46,000. Mr. FOGARTY. Mr. Baxter, I believe you are next. We will now take up the request for the Office of Field Administration. Mr. Baxter, you have been around here a long time but this is a new job for you, and some of the members perhaps haven't met you. So give us a brief résumé of your activities in the past. First I want to congratulate you on your appointment. I think you have been doing a good job for the Department for a long time. If I were you, I would not have wanted to leave the job you had down in Virginia. I thought it was about the best and most pleasant setting for any HEW office I have ever visited. Mr. BAXTER. It was a very pleasant exile, Mr. Chairman. BIOGRAPHY OF PRINCIPAL WITNESS Mr. FOGARTY. For the record, give us some of your background. Mr. BAXTER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am delighted to get back to Washington, despite a happy 10 years in Charlottesville. I had the privilege, a number of years ago, to work in Washington and to appear before this committee. Mr. Denton, I am a native of Kentucky. We sometimes think of you as a Kentucky Representative-not to offend Indiana. Mr. DENTON. Where in Kentucky? Mr. BAXTER, Richmond. My experience in recent years has been as regional director. Before that I worked in Washington as a special assistant in the Office of the Secretary, and I had an opportunity to work with this committee on Gallaudet, Howard, St. Elizabeths, and Freedmen's, which was, of course, a rather challenging experience for all of us. Mr. FOGARTY. They were in those days. It is pretty well straightened out now. Mr. BAXTER. They have made some progress. I am delighted to be here again. The chairman has given me such a good introduction I won't talk much about myself. GENERAL STATEMENT Mr. FOGARTY. We will put your statement in the record. (Mr. Baxter's statement follows:) STATEMENT BY DIRECTOR OF FIELD COORDINATION ON "SALARIES AND EXPENSES, OFFICE OF FIELD ADMINISTRATION" Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, in my first appearance before this committee. I am pleased to have the opportunity to present the request for "Salaries and Expenses, Office of Field Administration." A recent reorganization within the Department, with which you are familiar, has resulted in some internal realinement, and I, therefore, am testifying as Director of Field Coordination. ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ANTICIPATED PERFORMANCE We are continuing to stress and are achieving better coordination and more uniform functioning in regional office activities. Under supervision of the regional directors, related health, education, and welfare programs continue to be brought into a much closer and contiguous relationship. Major emphasis is being placed on the need to appraise our field organization and management to attain more effectiveness, efficiency, and economy in all phases of field administration. Our efforts shall continue to be aimed in this direction. The regional directors and their staffs must anticipate increasing workloads as the Department's programs are expanded by the Congress to bring needed health, education, and welfare services to the people. Our merit system staff will continue to respond to State requests for technical and consultative services on personnel administration and will also provide advice to our program units. The magnitude of this operation can be better illustrated by the fact that they are involved in 24 types of grants-in-aid, which apply to 70 different State merit systems and over 300 State agencies. As additional legislation is enacted, the workload of this activity will also continue to grow. SUMMARY OF FISCAL YEAR 1967 REQUIREMENTS The budget request for fiscal year 1967 is for $3,760,000 and 435 positions. This represents an increase of $155.000 and 16 positions when compared with fiscal year 1966. The net change reflected in 1967 is due to workload and other increases. FIELD ADMINISTRATION Field administration requirements reflect an increase of $114,000 and 16 positions and are accounted for primarily by the following major program needs: (1) Due to increased workloads caused by program expansions, we are requesting 16 additional management services positions and $71,000. As our servicing responsibility enlarges to encompass a greater number of programs and 28,900 regional employees in fiscal year 1967, these mandatory servicing operations must be adequately provided if the Department's operating personnei are to carry out their program responsibilities efficiently. (2) Items of increase which are mandatory in nature amount to $43,000, Over 75 percent of these increases are attributable to expansion of the social security programs. STATE MERIT SYSTEMS There are no additional positions requested for this activity. Items of increase which are mandatory in nature amount to $41,000. BUDGET REQUEST Mr. FOGARTY. The adjusted appropriation for 1966 is $3,605,000 and the request for 1967 is $3,760,000, an increase of $155,000 and 16 positions. ADDITIONAL CLERICAL POSITIONS Are all of these additional positions clerical and directly related to the increase in common services required by the larger field staff's of the operating agencies under the expanded programs of the Department? Mr. BAXTER. Yes, sir. Mr. FOGARTY. Give us a complete breakdown and job description of each position and put that in the record. (The information to be supplied follows:) DESCRIPTION OF NEW MANAGEMENT SERVICE POSITIONS REQUESTED FISCAL YEAR 1967 An increase in operating programs and personnel in the regions have necessitated a request for an additional 16 management positions to handle the growing and increasingly complex workload. The table below reflects the disposition of the requested positions. The personnel management specialists provide guidance and assistance to regional office management officials in such areas as position classification, employee relations and services, staffing and employee development. The appointment clerks (personnel) are responsible for the procedural aspects and final legality of personnel actions for a network of employees within a regional office. These actions include promotions, appointments, reassignments, etc. The fiscal accounting clerks maintain general and allotment ledger accounts reflecting the status of all appropriations in the regional office. They examine travel and miscellaneous vouchers submitted for payment to see that applicable rules and regulations have been complied with and if so schedule for payment. The procurement clerks (office services) are responsible for the acquisition of all supplies, equipment, and services for the regional office and field offices located within the region. Mr. FOGARTY. They are directly connected with all of these expanded programs? Mr. BAXTER. I think, Mr. Chairman, it can be said factually that these 16 positions are being used to meet the increased workload in all areas. BUDGETARY EFFECT OF TRANSFER OF WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ACTIVITIES Mr. FOGARTY. Would you make a careful analysis of the effect on your fund needs of a shift of the water pollution control activities out of the Department and place it in the record? Mr. BAXTER. Yes, sir. Mr. FOGARTY. Mr. Cardwell, will you see that the same is done for the other offices that would be affected, such as audit, solicitor, and the Secretary, and we will place them all in the record at this point. Mr. CARDWELL. Yes, sir. (The information follows:) EFFECT OF TRANSFER OF FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ADMINISTRATION ON THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1966 provides for the abolishment of an Assistant Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare and the establishment of an Assistant Secretary in the Department of the Interior. It also provides for the transfer of staff and funds in accord with the direction of the Bureau of the Budget. The effect on the Office of the Secretary in terms of staffing and related costs has not yet been finally determined; however, the following elements are under consideration. SALARIES AND EXPENSES, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY Of the 11 positions assigned to the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Health, 5 positions that deal primarily with water pollution matters, plus the position of Assistant Secretary, are now scheduled for transfer to the Department of the Interior. The five remaining jobs are concerned with the coordination and direction of environmental health matters in general. (Four of these latter positions were allowed by Congress in 1965 solely for air pollution responsibilities.) The maximum 1967 cost of the Assistant Secretary, with a supporting staff of five is estimated at $78,000. The four new positions requested in the 1967 budget for the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Health are intended to perform in the broad field of environmental health and consumer protection. Under present plans these positions will be assigned to the Assistant Secretary for Health and Scientific Affairs under whose direction the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Health will coordinate Department responsibilities in these areas. The proposed transfer would have no effect on the planned use of these four positions. SALARIES AND EXPENSES, OFFICE OF AUDIT Based on the estimated workload associated with audit of waste treatment works construction grants, a maximum of seven professional audit positions may be affected by the proposed transfer. The 1967 budget of the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration estimated that project completions would rise from 850 in 1966 to 900 in 1967, an increase of about 6 percent. The Office of Audit planned to absorb this additional workload within existing staffing and did not request new positions for this purpose. It is estimated that the 1967 cost of seven positions involves $70,000 in new obligational authority. SALARIES AND EXPENSES, OFFICE OF FIELD ADMINISTRATION The effect of the proposed transfer on the Office of Field Coordination management services is expected to be negligible as a result of the following factors. The 1967 budget provides 333 regional management positions to service approximately 29,000 departmental regional staff, or a ratio of 87 to 1. Removal of approximately 1,175 Federal Water Pollution Control Administration positions from servicing requirements reduces this ratio to 83 to 1. However, the Office of Field Coordination budget did not reflect the effect of the proposed decentralization of Office of Education activities which anticipates movement of about 450 employees from headquarters to field service. This change raises the ratio to approximately 85 to 1, about 2 percent lower than originally anticipated, and the same level as is being maintained in 1966. SALARIES AND EXPENSES, OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL The Office of the General Counsel estimates that three positions (two attorney and one secretarial) are currently devoted to providing legal services for the water pollution control program. One of the 18 new positions requested for 1967 is intended for full-time use on this program. Accordingly, in 1967 a maximum of 4 positions and $43,000 in new obligational authority may be affected by the transfer of water pollution responsibilities. |