Mr. DORN. In accordance with longstanding practice, we have invited all of the members who sponsored this legislation to be the first witnesses in these hearings. Later, following the conclusion of testimony of Members of Congress, we will hear testimony from our veterans organizations and later the Veterans' Administration. Senator Claude Pepper is not here at the moment. Mr. ADAIR. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent of the committee to have included in the record of hearings my remarks in the House yesterday relating to H.R. 16247, a pension bill that I introduced on July 14. Mr. DORN. Without objection. Mr. ADAIR. This will be in lieu of a further statement here. Mr. DORN. Without objection, it will be included in the record. (The statement referred to follows:) REMARKS OF MR. ADAIR ON H. R. 16247 IN THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, JULY 18, 1966 Mr. Speaker, I have introduced H. R. 16247, a bill to liberalize and make more equitable the veterans' pension program. Considerable interest has been manifest in recent months in legislation to revise and liberalize the veterans' pension program. More than 150 bills on this subject have been introduced and are pending before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Undoubtedly, this great expression of interest has been stimulated by the adverse effect of last year's Social Security annuity increase upon the monthly pension of many veterans. It is true that the 88th Congress, anticipating the Social Security increase, enacted legislation to exclude 10% of any retirement income from the computation of income for pension purposes. Because the Social Security increase was not enacted until more than a year later, many veterans received a nominal increase in Social Security and at the same time their pensions were reduced substantially. In some cases, veterans had been on the pension rolls only a few months when their pensions were summarily reduced or terminated because of the receipt of the nominal increase in Social Security. This is only part of the problem facing us, Mr. Speaker. The continually rising cost of living has made the income limitations of existing law that were established in 1960 completely obsolete in establishing financial need and entitlement to 67-235-66- -8 |