ties for professional training in certain fields, (e) income-tax deduction for educational expenditures, (f) further extension of veterans' educational benefits, and (g) other measures described in this chapter.

A thoughtful consideration of all of this enacted and proposed legislation leads to the conclusion that it represents significant actual and potential Federal contributions to the development of the Nation's professional manpower. However, there are important counterbalancing considerations.

None of the legislation deals with the problem as a whole. Nevertheless, some of the laws and bills do contain policy statements recognizing the shortage of professional manpower in general or in specific fields, implying that there is a Federal responsibility for action toward alleviating the shortage.

For example, the National Scholarship Act of 1956 declared that

The Congress hereby finds that there is a serious shortage of teachers and scientists in the United States at the present time, and that such shortage represents an increasing threat to the general welfare and the national defense and security of the United States.

(This bill was not enacted.)

The whole consideration of bills of this kind, both inside and out of Congress, is undoubtedly affected by the absence of overall, clearcut constitutional or other statutory provision governing what the Federal Government should or should not do in educational matters. Proposals for broad Federal action dealing with educational problems are often advanced with hesitation, or not at all, because of their involvment with highly controversial questions concerning Federal and State responsibilities in education, and particularly with the perennial controversy over the possibility of Federal control over education.

As a whole, the laws and bills emphasize development in certain specified (mainly scientific) fields. Prior Federal legislation also emphasized education in these and/or closely associated fields. This observation leads to the conclusion that the national interest calls for congressional consideration of the total effects of such legislation upon education in the United States, and raises questions such as the following concerning enacted and proposed bills: 1. Will legislation of this kind lead to overemphasis of certain subjects in American education?

2. Does the proposal under consideration offer piecemeal or a comprehensive solution of the problem?

3. Has it the backing of a particular pressure group? If so, what is this group, and what are its motives?

4. What policies are desirable or undesirable in Federal promotion of education?

5. Is the existing Federal legislation adequate and appropriate to meet the national need?

6. Will the proposal accomplish its objective, or merely lead to a substitution of Federal money for available private or State funds?

7. If this is not a sound proposal, what kind of substitute or additional legislation, if any, should be enacted?

These are questions before the 85th Congress. The purpose of the following digest and discussion of laws and bills is to provide a part of the basic information which the Congress needs in order intelligently to consider the answers.

B. LAWS ENACTED BY THE 84TH CONGRESS

A number of measures enacted by the 84th Congress relate fairly closely to the general subject to this study or some part of it. Such laws include the following.

1. Committee on Education Beyond the High School

H. R. 12237 (Public Law 813), introduced by Representative Carl Elliott of Alabama, was approved July 26, 1956. This act established a statutory basis for the work of the President's Committee on Education Beyond the High School, which had been appointed by President Eisenhower on April 19, 1956.

In a special message to Congress concerning "our educational system" on January 12, 1956, President Eisenhower had said that the work of this committee would be

to lay before us all the problems of education beyond high school, and to encourage active and systematic attack upon them.

On May 15, in requesting an appropriation for the work of the committee, the President had said that

Among the problems to be studied by the committee will be those * * of meeting shortages of scientists, engineers, and other professions; and of insuring that students with talent continue their education until they develop to the fullness of their capacities.

The close relationship of Public Law 813 to the subject of this report is shown in the preamble to the law, which reads as follows:

The Congress hereby finds and declares that the impending great increases in enrollment in higher education institutions, the great national need for increased numbers of scientists, engineers, teachers, technicians, nurses, and other trained personnel, the rapid changes in conditions which necessitate additional education for many adults, and the dependence of the national security on the research and advanced preparation provided by educational institutions, and the impact of the military services on youth, combine to make it imperative that immediate stimulus be given to planning and action throughout the Nation which will meet adequately the needs for education beyond the high school.

The act authorizes an appropriation of $650,000 to encourage and assist the States to provide committees on education beyond the high school. The committees are to be composed of educators and other interested citizens to consider educational problems beyond the high school and to make recommendations for appropriate action to be taken by public and private agencies at local, State, regional, and Federal levels, including the possibility of coordinating compulsory military service with established programs of institutions of higher education.

The Federal funds shall be allotted to the States on the basis of their respective populations except that each participating State shall have a minimum allotment of $7,500.

The act also authorizes the appropriation of such sums as the Congress may determine for the administration of the act and the expenses of the President's Committee on Education beyond the High School. It requires that the committee insofar as practicable shall

be composed of educators and educational administrators fairly representative of the large and small universities and colleges and geographically representative of the Nation. It requires that the final report of the President's committee be submitted in writing to the President and the Congress not later than December 31, 1957. 2. Training of public health personnel

The Health Amendments Act of 1956 (S. 3958), introduced by Senator Lister Hill, of Alabama, and others, was approved on August 2, 1956, and became Public Law 911, 84th Congress. The act provides additional means of stimulating the training of more professional public-health personnel.

Title I authorizes the appropriation of such sums as the Congress may determine for a 2-year Federal program of traineeships for advanced training for physicians, engineers, nurses, and other professional health personnel.

The Surgeon General may award these scholarships either directly or through grants to training institutions. The funds appropriated for traineeship may be used only to defray the educational expenses of the individuals awarded the traineeships. The law provides for a special conference to appraise the program and make recommendations which the Surgeon General would transmit to Congress not later than January 1, 1959.

Title II provides for grants by the Surgeon General to public and nonprofit institutions training nurses, for the awarding of traineeships to individuals selected by these institutions to receive training in nursing. The funds may be used for tuition and fees and a stipend and allowances for travel and subsistence expenses. The law provides for a conference after the second year to consider modifications of the program.

Title III extends with new emphasis the existing Federal-State program of vocational education (under the George-Barden Act). The title provides for a 5-year program of categorical grants to States for the extension and improvement of practical nurse training.

For the first 2 years of this program the act requires State expenditure of at least one State dollar for every three Federal grant dollars, and thereafter dollar for dollar matching. Appropriations for such grants are limited to $5 million annually.

3. Professional personnel in the fishing industry

S. 2379 (Public Law 1027), introduced by Senator Frederick G. Payne, of Maine, and others, was approved August 8, 1956. It authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to make grants to public and nonprofit private universities and colleges in the several States and Territories for such purposes as are necessary to promote the production of professionally trained personnel (including technicians and teachers) needed in the field of commercial fishing. For these purposes it authorizes an appropriation of $550,000 annually.

The act requires that the Secretary of the Interior in distributing the grants shall take into account the extent of the fishing industry within each State as compared with the total fishing industry of the United States, and other factors.

The law also amends the Vocational Education Act of 1946 (the George-Barden Act) by authorizing $375,000 in grants to the several

States and Territories for vocational education in the fishing trades and industries and distributive occupations therein.

4. Research and training to control water pollution

S. 890 (Public Law 660) introduced by Senator Edward Martin of Pennsylvania and others, was approved on July 9, 1956. It extended and strengthened the Water Pollution Control Act.

Section 4 of Public Law 660 directs the Surgeon General to encourage and assist research, investigations, training and information relating to the causes, control and prevention of water pollution. For this purpose, the act authorizes the Surgeon General to make grantsin-aid to public or private agencies and institutions and to individuals for research or training projects and for demonstrations, and provide for the conduct of research, training, and demonstrations by contract with public or private agencies and institutions and with individuals without regard to sections 3648 and 3709 of the Revised Statutes. 5. Equipment for training in specified scientific fields

S. 4203 (Public Law 1006) introduced by Senator Clinton P. Anderson of New Mexico, was approved on August 6, 1956. It makes a number of amendments to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 including the following: "The Commission is further authorized to make grants and contributions to the cost of construction and operation of reactors and other facilities and other equipment to colleges, universities, hospitals, and eleemosynary or charitable institutions for the conduct of educational and training activities relating to the fields in subsection a."

The fields listed in "subsection a" are those in which the Atomic Energy Commission is authorized to conduct research and development activities.

6. Extension of veterans' educational benefits

Public Law 7 (H. R. 587) which was introduced by Representative Olin E. Teague of Texas, amended the Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1952 (Public Law 550, 82d Cong., the Korean GI bill) so that persons who were serving in the Armed Forces on January 31, 1955, may continue to accrue educational benefits under that act until the completion of their military service.

In relation to the question of profesional manpower development, the significance of Public Law 550 as thus amended is illustrated by data published by the Veterans' Administration. As of November 1955, a total of 1,271,000 veterans had entered training under Public Law 550. About half of these, or 643,000, had enrolled for courses in institutions of higher learning. Nearly a third of these college registrants, or 177,000, had enrolled for undergraduate courses not specified. Following is a list of the enrollments in fields which attracted numbers above 20,000.1

Veterans' Administration, Department of Veterans Benefits Information Bulletin, June 28, 1956, pp. 5-10. (Numbers taken to nearest thousand.)

All veterans' educational benefits under Public Law 550 as amended will expire not later than January 31, 1965.

7. Expansion of college housing loan program

Two acts of the 84th Congress have indirectly affected the development of professional manpower by liberalizing the college housing loan program.

S. 2126, the "Housing Amendments Act of 1955," introduced by Senator John L. Sparkman, of Alabama, and others, was approved on August 11, 1955 (Public Law 345). One of the effects of this act was to increase the amount of college housing loans that may be outstanding at any time from $300 million to $500 million. The law also liberalized the program by (1) extending the amortization period on loans from 40 to 50 years, (2) specifically including institutions "offering at least a 2-year program acceptable for full credit toward a baccalaureate degree" (i. e., junior colleges), (4) making loans available to housing corporations established by educational institutions, and (5) allowance for loans for "other educational facilities" as well as for housing.

H. R. 11742, introduced by Representative Brent Spence, of Kentucky, was approved August 7, 1956 (Public Law 1020). This "Housing Act of 1956" included provision for an increase of $250 million in the loan fund for college housing-thus raising the fund to $750 million.

From the inception of the college housing loan program in 1950 to July 1, 1956, a total of 320 loans amounting to $241 million were made. Another 205 projects had been committed, with reservations of funds amounting to $175 million, leaving approximately $84 million available for new loans.2

8. Other relevant legislation

Other laws enacted by the 84th Congress which have some bearing on the development of professional manpower (although the relationship may be relatively slight or indirect) include the following:

(a) Surplus property for educational institutions.-H. R. 3322 (Public Law 61) introduced by Representative John W. McCormack, of Massachusetts, was approved on June 3, 1955. It amended the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 so as to improve the administration of the program for the utilization of surplus property for educational and public health purposes, by including property which has been capitalized in a working-capital fund or other accounting arrangement in several agencies.

Other provisions of the act include a clarification of the authority of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare respecting enforcement of certain conditions imposed on the use of donated property, and respecting cooperative agreements with the State departments of education.

(b) Military training and service.-H. R. 3005 (Public Law 118) introduced by Representative Carl Vinson, of Georgia, was approved June 30, 1955. It extended from July 1, 1955, to July 1, 1959, the draft provisions of the Universal Military Training and Service Act. It also modified and extended until July 1, 1957, the provisions of the Doctors Draft Act.

Information obtained from the Housing and Home Finance Agency.