Restoration of program funds of $24.9 million to the Office of Civil Defense and its Home Fallout Protection Survey and the Cmmunity Shelter Planning program are vital for the continued acceleration of the program. We urge your Committee's support for full restoration of the 24.9 million dollars. Sincerely yours, Senator WARREN J. MAGNUSON, HENRY L. LIKES, RHODE ISLAND AFL-CIO, Chairman, Independent Offices and Department of Housing and Urban Development Appropriation, Subcommittee on Appropriations, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. DEAR SENATOR MAGNUSON: The House-passed Bill H.R. 9960 has made deep cuts in the Civil Defense Program. This cut of some $24.9 million will result in drastic cutbacks in the Community Shelter Planning and the Home Fallout Protection Survey of the office of Civil Defense. Because of the effect this reduction in funds will have, we are requesting that you do what you can to have these funds restored by the U.S. Senate. Any help you can render in support of the Civil Defense will be appreciated Sincerely, THOMAS F. POLICASTRO, President. EDWIN C. BROWN, BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TRADES DEPARTMENT, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR-CONGRESS OF INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATIONS, Washington, D.C., June 30, 1967. Hon. WARREN G. MAGNUSON, DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: For a number of years, the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO, has supported a vigorous and meaningful program designed to provide fallout shelters for the American public in conjunction with a nation-wide Civil Defense Program. The Department is composed of 18 National and International Unions representing over 31⁄2 million members. In the early days of the shelter program, the building trades built some 195 family fallout shelters in 183 cities at no cost whatsoever to the Government. Members of the building trades unions donated their labor free. In addition, union building tradesmen have likewise donated their skills to the erection of temporary fallout shelters which were shown at home builders' shows and various exhibitions. As American citizens we were glad of the opportunity to be of service in the shelter program. It is with this background that I am writing you in regard to the Independent Offices Appropriations Bill, H.R. 9960. As passed by the House, the bill made drastic cuts in Civil Defense Program funds which are out of proportion to the amount of money involved. In light of the world situation, to make cuts of this kind in this most important phase of our national defense posture relating to the safety of the population and security of the public interest is, in our opinion, an extremely serious matter which deserves very careful consideration by your Committee. The cut of $24.9 million will compel an extremely sharp reduction in the Community Shelter Planning and the Home Fallout Protection Survey of the Office of Civil Defense. Both these programs are designed to furnish the American public with the necessary information and facilities should an emergency occur. They are practical programs of direct local benefit. In accordance with our long-standing support of this effort, we strongly urge that the Committee restore the appropriations for the Civil Defense Programs to the full $111 million requested in the Administration Budget for fiscal 1968. I respectfully request that this letter be made part of the official record of the hearings. With best wishes, I am Sincerely, C. J. HAGGERTY, President. PATERSON, N.J., July 18, 1967. Hon. WARREN J. MAGNUSON, Chairman, Independent Offices and Department of Housing and Urban Develop ment Appropriations Subcommittee, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.: The building trades for many years have participated in and supported a meaningful civil defense program. House passed bill H.R. 9960 has made drastic cuts in civil defense program appropriations and we urge your committee's support for full restoration of the $24.9 million cut. NEW JERSEY STATE BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION JOHN GUZZI, President. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY EMERGENCY HEALTH AND WELFARE ACTIVITIES STATEMENT OF DONALD F. SIMPSON, ASSISTANT SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE; ACCOMPANIED BY JOSEPH H. MYERS, ACTING COMMISSIONER, WELFARE ADMINISTRATION; HENRY C. HUNTLEY, CHIEF, DIVISION OF HEALTH MOBILIZATION, PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE; DEAN SNYDER, DEFENSE COORDINATOR, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY; ROBERT WALLACE, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, DIVISION OF HEALTH MOBILIZATION, PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE; AND HENRY A. NEIL, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF BUDGET, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY 1967 APPROPRIATION, 1968 BUDGET REQUEST Senator MAGNUSON. We have Mr. Simpson here for the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, emergency health activities. Your appropriations for fiscal year 1967 were $10 million, the Budget suggested $12.5 million for fiscal year 1968; the House recommended $9 million, which is $1 million under fiscal year 1967, and $3,500,000 under the budget request for fiscal year 1968. Your appeal is for $426,000. APPEAL LETTER We will place in the record the letter from Mr. Cohen, the Under Secretary of the Department of HEW. (The letter follows:) THE UNDER SECRETARY OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE, Hon. WARREN G. MAGNUSON, DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: This is in response to your letter of May 12, 1967, requesting our comments on the Independent Offices and Department of Housing and Urban Development Appropriation Bill for 1968, as passed by the House of Representatives. The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare has one item in this bill, the appropriation for emergency health and welfare activities. The House took two actions with regard to this appropriation. First, the appropriation language was revised so that the funds appropriated could only be used for the emergency health activities of the Public Health Service and not for emergency prepared ness functions carried out elsewhere in the Department. The President's budget proposed that the delegate emergency preparedness functions of Federal agencies be budgeted along with the regular administrative activities of the agencies rather than by financing them through a single appropriation to the Office of Emergency Planning. The House opposed this change in budgeting procedure and reestablished the delegate agency appropriation to OEP. The removal of emergency preparedness activties other than the emergency health activities of the Public Health Service from the HEW appropriation is consistent with this budgeting policy. The report of the House Appropriations Committee states that these activities should be financed within the total amount appropriated to OEP for delegate agency functions. Secondly, the House reduced the request for emergency health activities from $12.074.000 to $9.000,000, a reduction of $3,074.000. This action was taken because the President's budget shows that $2,043,000 will be carried forward from the current year into fiscal year 1968. On the question of budgetary policy, we would like to recommend that the Senate retain the appropriation for emergency health and welfare activities as proposed in the President's budget. The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare is in a unique position in that it is the only department which has received a appropriation for emergency preparedness purposes, that is, the appropriation for the emergency health activities of the Publie Health Service. For 1968, the President's budget proposed that this appropriation be expanded to include funds for emergency welfare activities and providing staff support to the Secretary. This revision was made in order to facilitate Congressional review of the Department's total emergency preparedness program. This ar rangement would also facilitate coordinated management of the program by the Department. The House had similar purposes in mind in reestablishing the OEP appropriation for delegate agencies, namely to facilitate Congressional review of these activities and maintain coordinated management. These purposes would not be thwarted by retaining the emergency health and welfare appropriation for HEW. This item would continue to be considered in the same appropriation bill as the Office of Emergency Planning and, therefore, would not impede Congressional review of the delegate agency program. In addition, OEP would be able to exercise its coordinating and policy-setting role in regard to the consolidated HEW appropriation as it has in the past for emergency health activities. We have been advised by OEP that they will support the action taken by the House to reestablish the appropriation for delegate agency functions. At the same time, they will request the Senate to include in the Bill all the funds requested by the President for delegate agency activities. OEP has also informed us that they would not oppose the policy of including the HEW delegate agency functions in the appropriation for emergency health and welfare activities. They would revise their request appropriately if the Senate Appropriations Committee supports our recommendation. In addition to having a consolidated appropriation for HEW emergency preparedness activities, we would also recommend that the Senate appropriate $426.000 for staff support to the Secretary and emergency welfare activities. The Secretary's staff provides overall coordination and direction of emergency preparedness responsibilities assigned to the Department and maintains contingency plans for the continuity and relocation of the Department's Headquarters and Regional Offices in the event of a National emergency. The funds requested for 1968 will provide two new positions for improving coordination of emergency preparedness programs in the field. The staff proposed for emergency welfare services is needed to work with States and local communities to improve their capability to function in emergency situations. The 23 new positions requested for 1968 are for training State and local welfare workers in the provision of emergency welfare services. This training will be undertaken in the context of the current shelter-based program which has superseded the earlier civil defense concept based on the assumption that the population would be evacuated from affected areas. In regard to the emergency health program we are not recommending that the Senate restore the reduction made by the House. Since the development of the President's budget, delays have been experienced in the procurement of supplies and equipment needed to refurbish packaged disaster hospitals and provide emergency reserve supplies for community hospitals. These delays will make it unlikely that we could obligate in fiscal year 1968 the full amount requested in the President's budget for emergency health activities. In summary, we are requesting the Senate to restore the appropriation language for "Emergency health and welfare activities" and appropriate $9,426,000 for this purpose. Language is enclosed which would amend the bill as passed by the House to reflect recommendation. We have also enclosed tabular material spelling out in greater detail the effect of the House action on the HEW civil emergency preparedness. We shall be happy to provide any additional information the Committee might need. Sincerely yours, WILBUR J. COHEN, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, EMERGENCY HEALTH AND WELFARE ACTIVITIES AMENDMENT REQUESTED On page 31, delete lines 3 to 11 and insert in lieu thereof, the following: "For expenses necessary for emergency health and welfare activities, planning and preparedness of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and procurement, storage (including underground storage), distribution, and maintenance of emergency civil defense medical supplies and equipment as authorized by law (50 U.S.C., App. 2281(h)), $9,426,000, of which $9,000,000 shall remain available until expended. EFFECTS OF HOUSE ACTION The House revised the language for this appropriation so that the funds allowed could only be used for the emergency health activities of the Public Health Service. The report of the House Appropriations Committee indicated that funds for the other emergency preparedness functions of the Department should be financed through the appropriation made to the Office of Emergency Planning for delegate agency civil defense activities. For the emergency health activities of the Public Health Service, the House allowed $9,000,000, $1,000,000 less than the amount appropriated in 1967 and $3,074,000 less than the amount requested for 1968. The action taken by the House has the effect of reducing the amount requested for the acquisition of stocks from $5,087,000 to $2,013,000. The funds requested would have permitted the Public Health Service to provide 291 community hospitals with reserve medical supplies and refurbish 259 packaged disaster hospitals. The appropriation recommended by the House would permit 162 community hospitals to receive backup supply and provide for the refurbishment of 86 packaged disaster hospitals. Because of delays experienced in the current year, the plans proposed in the 1968 budget cannot be fully carried out. As a result, no appeal will be made to have the Senate restore the funds denied by the House. In regard to the policy affecting the HEW civil defense activities outside the Public Health Service, the Department recommends that the Senate reinstate the appropriation language proposed in the President's budget. This would provide a single appropriation covering all of the Department's civil defense activities. This arrangement would facilitate congressional review of the Department's emergency preparedness program and coordinated management of the program within the Department. Since this appropriation would continue to be a part of the Independent Offices and Department of Housing and Urban Development appropriation bill, this arrangement would not interfere with the congressional review of the delegate agency civil defense program. The Department also recommends that the Senate appropriate the $426,000 requested in the President's budget for activities outside the emergency health program of the Public Health Service. This will provide $116,000 and 8 positions for general coordination and direction of defense responsibilities assigned to HEW and for the maintenance of emergency plans for continuing the Department's headquarters and regional offices in case of national emergency. It will also provide $316,000 and 29 positions for emergency welfare services. This will permit the Welfare Administration to train State and local welfare workers in the provision of emergency welfare services in the context of the current shelter based program which has superseded earlier plans to evacuate the population from affected areas. |