February 19, 1963
PAGE 2514
COORDINATED REVIEW OF STATE AND LOCAL APPLICATIONS FOR CERTAIN FEDERAL GRANTS-IN-AID
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce for appropriate referral a bill to encourage better coordinated local review of State and local applications for certain Federal grants-in-aid that are of special significance to the orderly development of our metropolitan areas.
The bill provides that, effective July 1, 1965, applications for Federal grants-in-aid for hospital construction, airport construction, water supply facilities, waste treatment works, urban highways, public housing and urban renewal be accompanied by comments and recommendations of a metropolitan planning agency empowered under State law to perform metropolitan planning for the area within which the assistance is to be used. The State or local jurisdiction applying for the grant would be required to report that it had taken the comments and recommendations of the planning agency into consideration in preparing its final application. This bill is similar to S. 3363 which I introduced late in the last session of Congress. It has been revised slightly to incorporate certain technical suggestions made by various Federal agencies and to take into account the availability of urban water supply facility grants-in-aid authorized by the enactment of the Emergency Public Works Acceleration Act.
In order to avoid any undue delay from the proposed review and coordination procedure, the requirement that State and local government agencies shall submit comments and recommendations by metropolitan planning agencies along with applications for certain Federal grants-in-aid would be waived in those cases where the planning agency has failed to act within a 60-day period.
This legislation was first proposed by the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations in its report on "Governmental Structure, Organization, and Planning in Metropolitan Areas." As a member of the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations and as author of the legislation which created the Commission along with Congressman FOUNTAIN, Democrat, of North Carolina, I am proud of the leadership the Commission has taken to promote better government structure, organization, and planning in metropolitan areas. The remaining Commission recommendations in that report regarding Federal action with respect to improving intergovernmental relationships in urban areas, including expanded Federal technical assistance for State and metropolitan planning, congressional consent in advance to interstate compacts creating planning agencies in urban areas crossing State lines and financial support on a continuing basis to metropolitan planning agencies have all been accomplished by the Housing Act of 1961 or by administrative action of the Housing and Home Finance Agency.
The need for this proposed legislation for review of Federal grant-in-aid applications in metropolitan areas is created by: First, the rapid population growth in these areas; second, the many Federal programs available affecting the development of such areas; and third, the number of local units of government in metropolitan areas independently initiating applications. These applications for Federal assistance are often made without reference to other Federal, State, local, or private development programs or to their impact on the overall metropolitan area which they are designed to serve.
The number of Federal programs and amount of funds contributed to metropolitan development are increasing rapidly. Mr. Robert Weaver, Administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency and also a member of the Advisory Commission, in testimony before our Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations of the Committee on Government Operations, gave us an example of how this impact on Federal programs relates to a single metropolitan area, in this case, the Atlanta, Ga., metropolitan area. They found that more than $117.6 million in public and private expenditures was directly generated during 1962 by some 41 separate programs administered by 12 major Federal agencies.
Given this situation, areawide planning agencies can serve as an effective grass roots mechanism and vehicle for the coordination of Federal grant-in-aid assistance with each other and with State, county, and local development of the area as a whole.
The Commission acknowledged in its report that the practical effect of this recommendation "would be to require the enactment of State enabling legislation providing for the creation of an areawide planning agency in each metropolitan area of the State." The Commission went on to point out:
Some may argue that such a proposal invades the prerogatives of the State or that it forces cooperation where the desire to cooperate may not exist. The Commission believes that the time has come to insure cooperation among local units of government in metropolitan areas, a task that all levels of government must respond to if we are to make progress in dealing with this most dynamic of Intergovernmental activities, metropolitan development.
This legislation which provides for review -- but not necessarily approval -- by an official metropolitan planning agency appears to be a practical step that the Federal Government can take to assist local governments to cope adequately with current problems faced in metropolitan areas. It is appropriate for the Federal Government to use suitable inducements or requirements for effective planning and exchange of information among local units of government in the interest of getting maximum value for both the Federal and the local funds which are spent in connection with Federal grant-in-aid programs. Equally important is the increased effectiveness which should result in achieving national as well as local program objectives.
There are a number of precedents for such an advisory review or even stronger performance standards providing that federally aided projects be consistent with other State and local development activities and with plans for development of the area. Federal grants-in-aid have traditionally included conditions for insuring local performance standards. The Urban Renewal Administration and the Public Housing Administration both require that Federal assistance be in conformance with comprehensive local development plans for the specific jurisdictions affected. Assistance under the Federal open space and mass transportation programs is contingent upon areawide comprehensive plans, locally prepared. In our own National Capital region each Federal agency proposal for development or construction must be reviewed, on an advisory basis, by the National Capital Planning Commission to insure that it is consistent with comprehensive plans for development of the Washington metropolitan area.
It is important to note that no attempt is made by this legislation to determine how the responsible State or local officials should make use of the comments and recommendations made by the metropolitan planning agency. Similarly, the Federal officials administering the grants-in-aid programs would be expected to review the comments and recommendations of the planning agency and any comments thereon made by the State or local agency applying for the grant. Such review would be helpful in determining whether the grants applied for are in accord with the Federal laws under which they are made.
This moderate proposal has been well received to date. The Advisory Commission, composed of representatives of Congress and the executive branch and State and local officials as well as public members appointed by the President, adopted the recommendation proposing such legislation without dissent. The National Association of Counties at their 1962 convention, formally voted to support enactment of this grant-in-aid legislation, as has the board of directors of the National Housing Conference. The American Institute of Planners is actively supporting the purposes of this legislative proposal. A number of letters from public and private organizations have likewise indicated support. A number of leading urban Planners and political scientists, in commenting to the House Government Operations Committee on the Commission's report containing these recommendations generally strongly supported the proposal.
In summary, all the governments affected by these Federal programs should benefit by the improved metropolitan planning machinery and decision making that would stem from enactment of this legislation.
I ask unanimous consent that the bill may remain at the desk through February 28 to allow other Senators an opportunity to join in cosponsoring the proposed legislation.
The VICE PRESIDENT. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill may be printed. in the RECORD at this point.
The VICE PRESIDENT. The bill will be received and appropriately referred, and, without objection, the bill will be printed as requested.
The bill (S. 855) to provide for more effective utilization of certain Federal grants by encouraging better coordinated local review of State and local applications for such grants, introduced by Mr. MUSKIE, was received, read twice by its title, referred to the Committee on Government operations, and ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
[Bill Text Omitted]