March 6, 1975
Page 5510
UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT
Mr. JAVITS. Mr. President, yesterday, the White House Press Office announced that President Ford will request $1.6 billion in supplemental funds for public service employment opportunities under title VI of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act – CETA – and $412 million under that act for summer jobs for poor youth.
This is a most welcome commitment for fiscal 1975 and demonstrates an understanding by the President of the urgent needs of our people in this unemployment crisis. This is a real victory for human relations.
PUBLIC SERVICE JOBS
Together with the $875 million already appropriated for public service jobs under title VI of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act, the $1.6 billion which the President is now requesting will provide an aggregate total of $2.5 billion for fiscal year 1975 – the full amount authorized by the Congress for fiscal year 1975 under title VI.
The statement by the Press Secretary indicates that the President's proposal will provide funding for 310,000 public service jobs through fiscal year 1976.
The Department of Labor has advised me that the 310,000 estimate includes jobs that may be provided from the $2.5 billion aggregate appropriation under title VI for fiscal year 1976 and appropriations under title II of the Act – for which the administration has already requested $400 million for fiscal year 1976 – under the "such sums" authorization for that title now contained in CETA.
For the same period – through fiscal year 1976 – Senator WILLIAMS and I have proposed that standby authority be available to make possible a level of 1 million public service jobs.
To that end, on February 7, joined by 16 of our colleagues, we introduced S. 609, the Emergency Public Service Employment Extension Act of 1975, a bill to extend for 1 year, fiscal year 1976, the authorization of appropriations for the emergency job program under title VI.
While the President's plan would therefore spread the use of requested fiscal year 1975 supplemental funds through fiscal year 1976 – rather than seek a new authorization of appropriations for fiscal year 1976, as we have proposed – the supplemental request itself is most welcome.
SUMMER JOBS FOR YOUTH
Mr. President, the $412 million requested by the President for summer jobs for youth – which will provide approximately 760,000 summer jobs for youth – is a significant – even if not yet adequate – response by the President to a letter which I, joined by 19 other Senators, transmitted to the White House on February 28. Joining with me were Senators BEALL, BROOKE, CASE, CRANSTON, HART, HATHAWAY, HUMPHREY, JACKSON, KENNEDY, MCGOVERN, MUSKIE, NELSON, PELL, RANDOLPH, RIBICOFF, STAFFORD, TUNNEY, and WILLIAMS.
In that letter, we requested that the President submit a revised budget request for fiscal year 1975 for an aggregate of $680,211,844 to meet the urgent needs for 1,147,847 summer youth jobs and related transportation and recreational activities for this summer, as documented in surveys conducted by the National League of Cities, and the National Recreation and Park Association.
The President's request, while substantial and commendable, is still 387,847 opportunities short of the needs in the summer youth job program, and will not meet at all the needs for transportation and recreational opportunities which the cities have documented.
The President anticipates that some of these needs will be met by State and local governmental prime sponsors from general funds under CETA title I for manpower training.
However, as we noted in our letter to the President:
... because of the very substantial needs for comprehensive programs for adults and others under title I – stemming from the crisis unemployment situation – it is clear that title I cannot be regarded as an adequate source to meet to any significant extent the aggregate needs for summer youth jobs and transportation that we have documented. Already, preliminary estimates from the Department of Labor suggest that only a small number of prime sponsors have been able to plan for a summer youth job program, even at last year's level – which will clearly be inadequate.
Accordingly, given the great overall needs for sufficient resources to deal with the problem of unemployment, I shall continue to seek – as I did in my testimony before the Appropriations Committee, the full amount documented to make sure that 1.1 million jobs are provided, as well as full funding for recreation and transportation. As we noted in our letter, almost three times that many youth, or 3.1 million, will be out looking for work and any funds also allocated by the States, cities, and counties from title I can help further to bridge the gap.
I am encouraged by the President's action yesterday that additional funds can be sought for the very badly needed summer job program and full appropriations will be sought under the existing authorization for the public service jobs program.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there be printed in the RECORD a copy of our letter to the President of February 28, together with materials documenting the needs of the cities, along with a copy of the President's statement, and an article entitled "President Seeks $2 Billion More for Public Jobs," " which appeared in today's New York Times, as well as the basic text of my testimony before the Subcommittee on Labor-HEW Appropriations of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which includes also requests for supplemental funds under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
U.S. SENATE,
COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND PUBLIC WELFARE,
Washington, D.C.,
February 28, 1975.
Hon. GERALD R. FORD,
President, The White House,
Washington, D.C.
DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: We urge you to submit revised budget requests for fiscal year 1975, aggregating $680,211,844, to meet urgent needs for 1,147,847 summer youth jobs and related transportation and recreational activities for this summer. Last summer, an aggregate of $397.0 million was made available for these purposes which included approximately 709,200 nine-week jobs.
Our request consists of the following elements:
First, an aggregate of $649,681,402 for the provision of 1,147,847 summer jobs for economically disadvantaged youth 14 to 21 years of age, as authorized under section 304(a) (3) of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act of 1973. Each job would provide a nine-week opportunity of 26 hours a week at the minimum wage of $2.10 an hour. The 1,147,847 jobs consist of 458,463 in the Nation's 50 largest cities, and 689,384 jobs in smaller cities and other areas. Last summer, $380.0 million was made available for approximately 709,200 nine-week jobs.
These needs are documented on a city-by-city basis in the enclosed letter dated January 29, from Alan E. Pritchard, Executive Vice President of the National League of Cities, in response to a request made by Senator Javits.
Second, $4,530,442 under section 304 (a) (3) of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act of 1973 to provide transportation to youth to enable them to participate in the summer youth job program. Last summer, approximately $1.7 million was made available.
This request is set forth in the enclosed letter dated February 6, from Mr. Pritchard.
Third, $26,000,000 to provide recreational opportunities to poor youth, six to 13 years of age, under the Summer Youth Recreation program authorized by section 222(a)(13) of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, as amended by P.L. 93-644, which became law on January 4. $15.3 million was provided last summer.
This request is set forth in the enclosed letter dated February 25, from Dwight F. Rettie, Executive Director of the National Recreation and Park Association.
The Administration has not submitted any specific budget requests for any of these elements.
We note that summer youth job programs are among the eligible activities for which state and local governmental prime sponsors may use funds allocated to them under title I of CETA, "Comprehensive Manpower Services".
However, because of the very substantial needs for comprehensive programs for adults and others under title I – stemming from the crisis unemployment situation – it is clear that title I cannot be regarded as an adequate source to meet to any significant extent the aggregate needs for summer youth jobs and transportation that we have documented. Already, preliminary estimates from the Department of Labor suggest that only a small number of prime sponsors have been able to plan for a summer youth program, even at last year's level – which will clearly be inadequate.
While the Nation as a whole continues in a severe recession with unemployment at 8.2 percent in January and 7.5 million unemployed – and with the Administration's projections that unemployment will average 8.1 percent throughout this calendar year – poor youth, which have unemployment levels of 30 to 40 percent even in better times, are expected to suffer rates of 50 percent and more this summer. The National League of Cities, which has projected such a rate, indicates that it expects more than 3.1 million poor youth to be looking for jobs this summer.
We urge, in light of the serious emergency situation for the coming summer, that you send to the Congress a revised budgetary request for a special youth job program and related transportation and recreation, to meet the aggregate needs which we have documented.
Sincerely,
Jacob K. Javits, Alan Cranston, Jennings Randolph, George McGovern, Hubert H. Humphrey, Walter F. Mondale, Clifford P. Case, Edward M. Kennedy, Claiborne Pell, Henry M. Jackson, Harrison A. Williams, Jr., Robert T. Stafford, John V. Tunney, Edward W. Brooke, Abraham Ribicoff, J. Glenn Beall, Philip A. Hart, William D. Hathaway, Edmund S. Muskie, Gaylord Nelson.
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES,
January 29, 1975.
Hon. JACOB K. JAVITS,
U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.
DEAR SENATOR JAVITS: In accordance with your request and as in the past, we have surveyed the nation's cities to determine the needs for a summer youth employment program this year.
The information we have received from the 50 largest cities shows that the total number of slots these cities could effectively use this summer is 458,463. On the basis of our contacts with a sample of smaller cities, we estimate that their needs for summer jobs total 689,384. Combining these figures, the present real need for 1975 is 1,147,847 slots nationwide.
As you are aware, rapidly rising unemployment rates and deteriorating economic conditions are having a severe impact on joblessness among youth. With projected increases in the number of disadvantaged youth and alarming numbers of lay-offs in both the private and public sectors, an unemployment rate of 50% or more may be anticipated among disadvantaged youth this summer.
Congress has recognized the crisis of unemployment among adults through the Emergency Jobs and Special Unemployment Assistance Act of 1974, and it is essential that it address this separate crisis of unemployment among youth.
As summer job prospects for youth in the private sector become increasingly dim, it is clear that job creation in the public sector must be greatly expanded to fill this void. In addition, local government lay-offs are rapidly expanding and substantial efforts made by cities to hire youths during the summer months with local funds will be severely curtailed. In facing dramatically increased needs and evaporating job opportunities, your leadership is again urgently requested in securing additional funds for a summer employment program at the earliest possibly date. Adequate time to plan and implement summer youth programs is critical to the operation of an effective national effort.
While it is clear from the survey that those eligible for a summer youth employment program far exceed the capacity of cities to employ these youngsters effectively, it is urgent that the Congress also address the need for additional funds for a recreation program to provide disadvantaged youngsters with some form of constructive activity during the summer months. We are currently in the process of surveying city needs for recreation programs and should have this information to you shortly.
We would appreciate your assistance again this year in assuring adequate funding for a summer jobs program.
Sincerely,
ALLEN E. PRITCHARD, Jr.,
Executive Vice President.