capable of responding quickly to a wide range of requests for information, but one which disseminates on a current and frequent basis information on developments in this field.

As the federally established clearinghouse we must be regarded as the authoritative national resource. We must be prepared to service the needs of the Federal, State, and local governments, public and private agencies working in this field, business, industry and labor, and the public at large.

Some present resources of the Commission will be utilized for this function, but an increase in personnel and funds is essential if we are to meet this responsibility effectively.

VOTE FRAUD

It is anticipated that most of our work in carrying out this new function will be in response to specific complaints. The previous experience of the Commission will not be too helpful in this work, but the experience of others indicates that vote fraud investigations are extremely time consuming, complex, and expensive.

Commission hearings may be required in instances where investigations of complaints appear to substantiate their validity, and a pattern or practice of election fraud or discrimination is evident.

Again, some present Commission resources will be made available for this new function, although a separate staff unit must be established since this new program will be largely unrelated to any other work of the agency.

In summary, this is a request for 25 additional positions and funds in the amount of $295,000 for fiscal year 1965, to carry out the new functions for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights created by Public Law 88-352, the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Personnel compensation and staffing.-$160,000 for 25 permanent positions distributed as follows:

Total permanent positions_.

Average employment (including w.a.e.)

1965

25

27

SUMMARY STATEMENT ON "OTHER OBJECTS" FOR 1965, SUPPLEMENTAL, $135,000

Personnel benefits, $11,000.-Includes contributions to retirement fund, $8,800; health benefits, $1,200; group insurance, $400; and Federal Insurance Contribution Act, $600.

Travel and transportation of persons, $40,000.-For travel in connection with vote fraud investigations and hearings, $35,000; clearinghouse services, $5,000. Rent, communications, and utilities, $20,000.-For telephone and telegraph services, and payment of postage fees in connection with new activities. Printing and reproduction, $15,000.-For printing of publications necessary to clearinghouse activities.

Other services, $36,000:

Payments to commercial contractors, $25,000.-For stenographic services and reproduction of materials for new functions.

Services of other agencies, $11,000.-For administrative services by GSA and for reimbursement to other agencies for health room services, office machine repair, furniture repair, and security clearances.

Supplies and materials, $5,000.-For office and administrative supplies and materials necessary to the new functions.

Equipment, $8,000.-For purchase of necessary equipment for increased staff and new functions.

Selected resources as of June 30 are as follows: Unpaid undelivered orders, 1964, $51,000; 1965, $41,000

INTRODUCTION OF WITNESSES AND PRESENTATION OF STATEMENT

Senator MCCLELLAN. Mr. Rogerson, we welcome your explanation and testimony in support of the request.

Mr. ROGERSON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On my right I have Mr. William L. Taylor, General Counsel; on my left, Miss Madeleine O'Brien, administrative officer; and on her left, Arthur J. Craten, budget analyst, of the General Services Administration.

Senator MCCLELLAN. We welcome you.

Mr. ROGERSON. I have submitted a short prepared statement, Mr. Chairman.

Senator MCCLELLAN. Very well, it may be placed in the record at this point. You may highlight it if you will.

ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS OF COMMISSION

Mr. ROGERSON. Yes, sir. As you know, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 assigned two additional functions to the Commission on Civil Rights, one, to serve as a national clearinghouse for civil rights information, and, two, to investigate sworn allegations of patterns or practices of vote fraud and discrimination in Federal elections.

The field of vote fraud is new to us. It is difficult for us to predict what kind of complaint will be filed with the Commission under this new function. It is a complaint-oriented function. For this vote fraud responsibility in 1965 we are requesting an additional five positions, four professional and one clerical. Some present staff resources will be diverted to this function so that we will have a section of nine people, seven professional and two nonprofessional working in the broad area.

The total amount of funds for this new function would be $90,000 in this supplemental request. For the clearinghouse function we are requesting a total of $205,000 for 20 positions and related services to those individuals.

VOTE FRAUD COMPLAINTS

Senator MCCLELLAN. What are you going to do on this vote fraud function? What complaints do you have to work on in the first place? Mr. ROGERSON. We have had no complaints as yet on vote fraud. Several weeks ago we had a few that looked as though they might be vote fraud complaints but they related to elections several years ago. Senator MCCLELLAN. Don't go back too far in this.

Senator CASE. I was wondering, did it have anything to do with Chicago in 1960.

Mr. ROGERSON. We did not consider that the act was retroactive, Senator.

Senator MCCLELLAN. Have you got any complaints now of vote frauds? What are they? I want to get some picture of what you have in that field that you want this money for. If you have no complaints and nothing to investigate why do you want to set up a staff? Mr. ROGERSON. I don't believe we have had a Federal election since we had the vote fraud responsibility.

JURISDICTION IN ELECTIONS

Senator MCCLELLAN. You would have jurisdiction in Federal elections. You would have primary elections. After all the primaries, and we have had a good many this year, have you had any serious complaints about vote frauds?

Mr. ROGERSON. We have had no vote fraud complaints since the Commission has had the vote fraud responsibility but that has only been since July 2 of this year. I don't believe it is well known that we have this responsibility.

Senator MCCLELLAN. What you are doing is setting up a small staff so as to be prepared if you get any complaint.

Mr. ROGERSON. Yes, sir. I anticipate we will have some as a result of elections this fall and we will investigate those complaints. I assume that any complaint that alleges patterns or practices of activity in regard to the conduct of an election which in any way dilutes the

ballot of one individual over another individual would be within the jurisdiction of the Commission under its responsibility.

ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY

Senator MCCLELLAN. All States have their own laws with respect to vote frauds and so forth. I am sure every State has some law on it. Mine does I know. Does this supersede the State laws?

Mr. ROGERSON. No, sir. We are a study and factfinding group. There is nothing in the legislation which gives us

Senator MCCLELLAN. You have no enforcement authority?

Mr. ROGERSON. No enforcement authority.

Senator MCCLELLAN. All you do when you get a complaint is investigate it. Whom do you report to?

Mr. ROGERSON. We report to the President and the Congress. Now, we do have a subpena power. The Commission could, if on investigation we found substantiation for these complaints, schedule a hearing at the site of these

Senator MCCLELLAN. Would you report also to the Attorney General or would your report to the President be referred to the Attorney General?

Mr. ROGERSON. No. We report to the President and the Congress by statute.

CLEARINGHOUSE FUNCTION

Senator MCCLELLAN. You are going to set up what division?

Mr. ROGERSON. We are asking for 20 positions for our new clearinghouse function under the act.

Senator MCCLELLAN. What function is that? How does it operate! Mr. ROGERSON. We anticipate a number of things. One, the heart of the clearinghouse would be a technical information center. We feel we need 21 personnel in this center. Fourteen of the new positions would go to this function and seven positions that we already have would be a part of this center.

There are a great many developments in the civil rights field around the country. There has been no central source for information. We feel such a central source is absolutely necessary. We must establish under our clearinghouse function a systematic way of collecting the information that exists, of classifying it, digesting it, disseminating it, and having it available to people on request. We think that with the new Federal functions of the new agencies and commissions that have been established as a result of the Civil Rights Act we will also be servicing the informational needs of these new Federal functions as well.

STATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE DIVISION

Six of the twenty positions that we are requesting here under this clearinghouse function will be assigned to what is now our State Advisory Committee Division to work with and through our 51 State advisory committees around the country in collecting, interpreting, and disseminating information on developments in the civil rights field.

Senator MCCLELLAN. What grades will those 21 be?

Mr. ROGERSON. The grade structure I have here, sir. On the clearinghouse function?