TO AMEND SECTION 204, TITLE II, OF THE ACT TO WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 1945 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS, Washington, D. C. The committee met at 10:30 a. m., Hon. Fritz G. Lanham (chairman) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. We are met this morning for the consideration of H. R. 3187, a bill which I introduced on May 11, 1945, after a conference with representatives of the Federal Works Agency. The bill will be incorporated in the record at this point. (The bill referred to is as follows:) [H. R. 3187, 79th Cong., 1st sess.] A BILL To amend section 204 of title II of the Act entitled "An Act to expedite the provision of housing in connection with national defense, and for other purposes", approved October 14, 1940, as amended, to increase the amount authorized to be appropriated therein, and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 204 of the Act entitled "An Act to expedite the provision of housing in connection with national defense, and for other purposes", approved October 14, 1940, as amended, is amended by striking out "$500,000,000" and inserting in lieu thereof "$530,000,000". SEC. 2. The last proviso of section 204 of such Act, which limits the amount that may be allocated for contributions to public and private agencies for the maintenance and operation of public works as heretofore amended, is further amended to read as follows: "(b) the total amount allocated for contributions to public and private agencies for the maintenance and operation of public works after July 1, 1943, shall not exceed $120,000,000". SEC. 3. The First Deficiency Appropriation Act, 1945, approved April 25, 1945, is hereby amended by striking out the words "June 30, 1945" where they appear therein under the heading "War public works (community facilities)" and inserting in lieu thereof the words "June 30, 1946". The CHAIRMAN. This bill has to do with the authorization for additional funds for title II of the so-called Lanham Act. As you gentlemen probably know, the available funds expire by limitation of law on June 3, and these services must be continued for the duration of the war. My information is to the effect that very little, if any, money provided for by this bill would be used for construction, but on the contrary it would be used for aid to schools, child care, hospitals, and various things carried under title II, known by the usual designation of community facilities. We have with us this morning some distinguished representatives. of the Federal Works Agency, and I might ask first the Administrator, General Fleming, to make such statement as he may wish to make. STATEMENT OF MAJ. GEN. PHILIP B. FLEMING, ADMINISTRATOR, FEDERAL WORKS AGENCY; ACCOMPANIED BY BAIRD SNYDER, ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR, FEDERAL WORKS AGENCY; GEORGE H. FIELD, COMMISSIONER OF COMMUNITY FACILITIES, FEDERAL WORKS AGENCY; ALAN JOHNSTONE, GENERAL COUNSEL, FEDERAL WORKS AGENCY; PERE F. SEWARD, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR ADMINISTRATION, COMMUNITY FACILITIES, FEDERAL WORKS AGENCY; AND MRS. MARY MOON, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR WAR PUBLIC SERVICES, COMMUNITY FACILITIES, FEDERAL WORKS AGENCY General FLEMING. Mr. Chairman, this bill provides for an increase of the authorization under title II of the Lanham Act, which now stands at $500,000,000. We have had appropriations amounting to $497,000,000 under that authorization. I think our construction program is about completed. There are a few minor projects that are still in the mill but, as you have said, Mr. Chairman, this money is for maintenance and operation funds. The CHAIRMAN. May I make this inquiry? You did have construction funds under the recent deficiency appropriation bill? General FLEMING. We did have; yes, sir. We have approved a few projects since then that were very necessary. We, as you know, have had quite a program for assisting schools, hospitals, and child-care centers in the congested areas; and also venereal control centers. The venereal disease control program will be financed through the Public Health Service rather than through Federal Works Agency, as they are taking on that burden beginning July 1. We will have no further part of that activity under the Lanham Act. In connection with the school situation, I wrote to the governors of all States last fall bringing their attention to the fact that we were contributing money to the school programs in their areas, where the local communities could not meet the need and suggested that perhaps it was fitting for the States to look into that question, that their legislatures were going to meet in January, and I thought it fitting for them to see how much of this burden they could carry. I got answers from some saying that they could assume a part of the load and some said that they could not do anything. Then again, in January I wrote to the governors of the States inviting their attention to the condition of the schools, in reference to maintenance and operation projects, and telling them that we again suggested that perhaps they could assume some of that burden that we were carrying until the end of this fiscal year. That letter was followed by personal calls on each governor at his capital by our division engineer, and the matter was thoroughly discussed. We made a detailed survey of the problem to find out from the various applicants what they could do and what they could not do. A tabulation of the estimates as to the need for schools and other services developed that the requirements for our services in the next fiscal year would amount to $62,000,000. That was the amount |