The committee encourages the Director to exercise the discretion provided in the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to reduce the "local share" of funding for Legal Services programs when local political pressures are brought to bear on the program through the threatened reduction of "local share" contributions or in areas where it is difficult to obtain volunteer attorneys to contribute "in kind" services as a portion of the "local share."

XII. CREDITING SERVICE OF A VISTA VOLUNTEER

By virtue of section 5 (f) of the Peace Corps Act, as amended, former Peace Corps volunteers who later gain Federal employment are credited for purposes of retirement, seniority, reduction in force, and lay-off rights, leave entitlement, and other privileges based upon length of service with their period of service as volunteers—not including any period of training. However, no similar benefit has ever been granted to volunteers serving in VISTA under title VIII of the Economic Opportunity Act. The committee can see no justification for this disparity in treatment between these two very similar types of voluntary services.

More than 15,000 individuals have served as VISTA volunteers and more than 5,000 of them are now serving-in almost every State and territory, as well as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Approximately 50 percent of all VISTA volunteers are assigned to officiallydesignated community action agencies and another 30 percent or organizations funded through the Office of Economic Opportunity or other Federal agency. VISTA volunteers serve in Legal Services programs, in Headstart projects, in Job Corps programs, and in almost every conceivable kind of poverty program at the grass roots level. Under section 851 (a) of the Economic Opportunity Act, as amended, and firm agency policy, they are required to live among and at the economic level of the people they serve. In this respect, the hardships they endure are every bit as great-and may well be more so-than those encountered by Peace Corps volunteers in their service overseas. When the retirement and other credit provision was enacted in the original Peace Corps Act in 1961, it was explained as designed to encourage volunteers to consider professional careers in Government service. It is just as important to the vitality of Federal service that former VISTA volunteers be encouraged to enter those ranks. The type of fundamental person-to-person experiences they have had and the sensitivities they have developed to the problems of poverty and its victims are very similar to those of Peace Corps volunteers. And these qualities continue to be sorely needed among employees of the Federal Government.

The amendment would extend to former VISTA volunteers-including the volunteer leaders, volunteers serving in special volunteer programs, community volunteers and volunteer associates-the identical length-of-service credit now accorded former Peace Corps volunteers. Enactment of this amendment would mean that VISTA volunteers would for this purpose be treated the same as former military personnel who transfer to civil service jobs.

The amendment would apply to all former VISTA volunteers who become employed or who are presently employed by the U.S. Government on or after the effective date of this act. In order to secure

appropriate full credit toward civil service and other Federal systems of retirement, it would be necessary for a former VISTA volunteer to pay into the retirement system the appropriate amount of employee contribution for the period for which he wishes credit..

The amendment applies to volunteers enrolled under part A of title VIII. It does not apply to volunteers in programs financed under part B of title VIII unless they have been enrolled under the provisions of part A for full-time service as VISTA volunteers.

XIII. GAO AUDIT AUTHORITY

The Comptroller General of the United States would be given the right of access to the pertinent records of OEO grantees and contractors who receive funds under title II of the act. This provision of the committee bill was sponsored by Senator Prouty and has been requested by the Comptroller General of the United States.

XIV. USE OF CLOSED JOB CORPS CENTERS FOR

SPECIAL YOUTH PROGRAMS

The committee bill includes a provision sponsored by Senator Nelson designed to encourage the use of closed Job Corps centers for special youth programs carried out by public and private agencies such as colleges and universities.

The committee wishes to commend the administration for making every effort to make available these centers for suitable purposes. However, under the Federal property laws, personal property and equipment are to be offered for the use of agencies in a different order of priority from that which the committee feels should apply in the case of investment made in plant and equipment at Job Corps centers. Under the uniform property disposal laws, equipment is first made available to centers which remain open, then to other Federal agencies, with public and private agencies at the local level having lower priority. Because of the Federal investment in Job Corps centers, the facilities and equipment should be maintained intact and made available for use by agencies which are prepared to carry out programs similar to the Job Corps programs which have previously been carried out in such centers. The provisions of the committee bill make no change in the transfer of title to the real property but only apply to the decision as to who may use the facilities and equipment owned by the Federal Government.

Title 1:

TABLE 1.-ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ACT BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEARS 1969 AND 1970
OFFICE OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

TABLE 2.-PROPOSED "ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AMENDMENTS OF 1969" APPROPRIATIONS AUTHORIZED FOR

TABLE 3.-PROPOSED "ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AMENDMENTS OF 1969" APPROPRIATIONS AUTHORIZED FOR FISCAL YEAR 1971

Section 1 of the bill provides that this legislation may be cited by the short title of "Economic Opportunity Amendments of 1969." Section 2. Extension of Economic Opportunity Act

Section 2 extends the duration of the authority of the Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity to carry out programs under the Economic Opportunity Act for 2 years beyond the existing law's expiration date of June 30, 1970.

Section 3. Authorization of appropriations

Section 3(a) authorizes appropriations of $2,048 million for fiscal year 1970 and $2,148 million for fiscal year 1971 for carryihg out the Economic Opportunity Act. (For authorization of additional appropriations for specified programs, see sec. 3(c).)

Section 3(b) sets forth the basic amounts to be earmarked for specific programs under the Economic Opportunity Act out of appropriations made pursuant to subsection (a). Amounts are earmarked by title or parts thereof; and, in the case of title II, part of the amounts for that title are earmarked with portions to each of the special emphasis programs set forth in section 222(a). For both fiscal years 1970 and 1971, the same amounts are earmarked for each of the items each year. (The amounts earmarked add up to a total of $2,048 million, earmarked for each of the 2 fiscal years. With respect to fiscal year 1971, this would leave $100 million unearmarked if the appropriations authorization of $2,148 million is fully funded.)

If the sums appropriated fall short of the total ($2,048 million) necessary to fund fully each earmarked category, then the amounts

specified for each item must be prorated by reducing ratably each of the amounts.

All of the bill's provisions with respect to earmarking are subject to section 616 of the Economic Opportunity Act, which (as amended by section 4 of the bill, described below) authorizes up to 15 percent of the funds earmarked for any category to be transferred to any other program or activity under the Economic Opportunity Act.

Following are the amounts which subsection (b) earmarks for the various purposes of the Economic Opportunity Act:

(1) $890,300,000 for parts A and B of title I (work and training programs).

(2) $46 million for part D of title I (special impact programs). (3) $1,012,700,000 for title II (urban and rural community action programs), of which $338 million shall be for the Project Headstart program, $60 million for the follow through program, $58 million for the legal services program, $80 million for the comprehensive health services program, $25 million for the emergency food and medical services program, $15 million for the family planning program, and $8,800,000 for the senior opportunities and services program.

(4) $12 million for part A of title III (rural loan programs). (5) $34 million for part B of title III (assistance for migrant, and other seasonally employed farmworkers and their families). (6) $16 million for title VI (administration and coordination). (7) $37 million for title VIII (domestic volunteer service programs-VISTA).

Section 3(c) authorizes these additional appropriations (over and above appropriations authorized above) for specified programs under the Economic Opportunity Act:

(1) $7 million for fiscal year 1970, and $14 million for fiscal year 1971, for special impact programs (title I-D).

(2) $120 million for fiscal year 1970, and $240 million for fiscal year 1971, for Project Headstart.

(3) $16 million for fiscal year 1970, and $32 million for fiscal year 1971, for legal services.

(4) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 1970, and $80,000,000 for fiscal year 1971, for comprehensive health services.

(5) $75,000,000 for fiscal year 1970, and $150,000,000 for fiscal year 1971, for emergency food and medical services.

(6) $1,600,000 for fiscal year 1970, and $3,200,000 for fiscal year 1971, for senior opportunities and services.

(7) $7,500,000 for fiscal year 1970, and $15,000,000 for fiscal year 1971, for assistance for migrant and seasonal farmworkers (title III-B).

(8) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 1970, and $50,000,000 for fiscal year 1971, for day care projects (title V-B).

Section 4. Amendment to provide increased flexibility in use of funds Section 616 of the Economic Opportunity Act provides that, notwithstanding any limitation on appropriations for any program or activity under this act or any act authorizing appropriations for such program or activity, up to 10 percent of the amount appropriated, or allocated from any appropriation, to carry out any such program may be transferred to be used in carrying out any other program or activity under the act.