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Show Page Two THE SALT LAKE TIMES FRIDAY, MAY 7, 1976 Moss Proposes Overhaul of US Senate Committee System ,10 Profile Of A Veteran (continued from page 1) forces during periods of war or armed conflict, VA said. The remaining 3,092,000 were those veterans whose only active duty service came between the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. The VA said the average age of U.S. veterans on June 30, 1975 was 45.9 years. Vietnam era veterans (with no service in the Korean Conflict) are the youngest, of course. Their average age was 28.3 years, although the Veteran's Administration estimated that 57,000 of them were less than 20 years old. The oldest veterans are those who saw service during the Spanish American War in 1898. All of these men are at there are less than 1,000 of them now least 87 years of age and their average age is 95.5 years. Between these extremes are the veterans of World War I, whose average is 80.3 years; World War II veterans, who average 55.4 years of age; and the Korean Conflict veterans (with no service in World War II) whose average age is 43.9 years. The VA said more than half of all living veterans are now between the ages of 40 and 59 years. The largest five-ye50 to 54 years contains 4.9 age group ar million veterans. There are approximately 4.6 million veterans under the age of 30 and about 2.2 million who are 65 and over. VA said about 105,000 veterans have attained the age of 85 years. The agency estimated that there were 562,000 women veterans as of June 30, 1975, more than half of them (300,000) veterans of World War II. A total of 13,000 of these women were veterans of World War I, 75,000 served during the Korean Conflict (no service in World War II), and one out of five of them (117,000) were in uniform during the Vietnam era (no service in the Korean Conflict). VA said there were 57,000 women veterans with service between the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. the VA said almost 96 million persons, or 45 percent of the population of the United States, are potential beneficiaries under provisions of various veterans legislation. This is based on estimates that Americas 29,459,000 living veterans had 29.5 million dependent children (under 18 years of age), 9.6 million other family members (18 and over), and 23.5 million wives or husbands. In addition, VA said there were 3.8 million dependents of deceased veterans at the end of fiscal year 1975. There were 2.7 million widows or widowers, over 900,000 dependent children and 175,000 dependent parents. or 28.3 million of Veterans make up 44.9 percent the 63 million U.S. males 20 years old and older in the civilian, noninstitutional population. (Bureau of Census estimate of noninstitutional population excludes those in long term hospitals or nursing homes, correctional institutions and similar facilities.) Democratic Senator Frank E. Moss, this week proposed a plan to overhaul the Senate's committee system which includes a special session of the Senate to be held either in December or January. Moss outlined his proposal at an organizational meeting of the newly-create- d Temporary Select to Committee Study the Senate Committee System. Moss is one of 12 Senators appointed by the Vice Pesident of the Select Committee. The Committee is expected to recommend ways of improving the Senate's committee system by and a more even distriof bution the legislative workload. Unless our recommendations are presented and considered before the organization of the 95th Congress,. Moss began, we will accomplish very little. Nor can we present a reorganization plan at the last moment and expect to have it adopted. The alternatives are for the Senate to consider our recommendations at the end of the current session in a special session to be held after the election and before the 95th Congress convenes or at the beginning of the next session." Moss said one possibility would be for the Senate to meet in a special session in December solely to consider Senate reform. He said the Select Committee could be mandated to meet and file its report in November and the Rules Committee be reluctant to return in December, a special session then would focus its attention and that of the public on this issue, he said. Perhaps the most practical alternative, however," he said, is for the Senate to set aside the month of January for organizational purposes, including the election of leadership, consideration of the recommndations of the Select Committee and the Commission on Senate Organization, the appointment of members to committees, and the election of committee chairmen. Clearly, committee reform should be one of the first items on that agenda. Moss said it was his belief that the Select Committee could not hope to do justice to more than three major items as it considers reforming the committee system. He said the three items are: the Senate's legislative agenda, committee jurisdiction and executive oversight. He then outlined the problems in these' three areas and his proposals for solving them: MOss 1. The Senates Agenda said Congressional committees are slow to respond to public demands for action on major national issues such as unemployment, inflation, and particularly energy. He said constituent pressures are not into a translated Congressional agenda nor often into pressures on the particular committees having jurisdiction over the matter of concern. Even when they are, many Senators have little opportunity to help fashion legislation on these key issues, he said. Moss proposed that the committee consider mechanisms by which the entire Senate can establish an agenda at the beginning of each Congress or each session. As an example, he said the Senate might establish a temporary Committee on the Agenda, composed of the leadership and rotating members of both parties to determine the four or five main legislative objectives of the session. The committee would report a resolution, to be debated and voted on, giving broad directions to the standing committees and perhaps also setting deadlines for their responses. The 2. Committee Jurisdiction of committee jurisdiction problems are many, Moss said. Some committees are overworked; others are underemployed. There are overlaps in responsibility and duplications of effort. Moss 3. Executive Oversight routine said Congress has neglected examination of its creations. Too often it doesnt know whether Congressional mandates are being followed and legislative objectives are being met, he said. As the Budget Act called a halt to piecemeal budgeting in Congress, so it is time that Congress change its old habits of proliferating programs Mary L. Johnson Seeks Re-electi- on (continued from page 1) Services, Higher Education and of Business, LaJointbudget-Audi- t bor and Agriculture Committees, I believe I am in a unique position to render valuable service to the people in Central City and to the STate. I have championed legislation giving senior citizens property tax abatement and deferrments, providing safer drug labeling laws, eliminating sales tax on prescription drugs, sponsoring the Medical Malpractice Bill, providing funds for the growth of the University of Utah Medical College, and technical colleges throughout the State, increasing funds for public and higher education, and establishing free education for all. Establishing credit for women and the continual support for the just causes of women has been my goal," stated Representative Johnson. Housing is a major problem in Central City and besides sponsoring the $3 million dollar appropriation for low-cohousing, I have been working closely with the Salt Lke City Housing Redevelopment Agency to establish a systematic housing rehabilitation program through the help of the Central City Neighborhood Council of which I am a member of the Board of Trustees," commented Representative Johnson. High utility rates are another major problem and Representative Johnson plans to work for a more equitable distribution of rates between residential and industrial utility consumers. Sales tax on food is one of the most regressive of all taxes and I will continue to work for its elimination," said Representative st dial the LEASED GRAPEVINE Two bills received by Salt Lake City officials this week stirred their ire. City commissioners got a bill asking for about $70,000 to pay Associates for n consulting work on the Main Street Beautification Project. City officials refused to pay that bill, Barton-Aschma- because they said, the work cited by the consultants was never authorized. They also got a $600,000 bill from Salt Lake County for the jail citys use of the four the years. past during city-coun- ty County Commissioners this week passed a stiff new ordinance covering dog and cock fighting in Salt Lake County. It applies not only to persons owning or using birds or animals for fighting, but also to spectators and persons providing the premises for such exhibitions. Violation of the ordinance will be a Class B misdemeanor with a fine of $299 and-o- a jail term not to r exceed six months. May 1 deadline has come and gone and Salt Lake County has yet to begin extensive remodeling to house a new Third District Court judge who will take the bench July 1. A few weeks ago, county facilities and maintenance director Bob Zito told county commissioners work to convert office space into courtroom space should begin May 1 and be finished by July. The county at that time approved a plan to convert office space on the fourth floor of the Building into two courtrooms for two new district judges. But commissioners and Auditor Gerald R. Hansen were informed that the $17,000 remodeling job may have to go out to bid, under county law. According to Zitb, that is the current holdup. A City-Coun- A resolution asking the Utah Transit Authority to implement transportation was endorsed this week by unanimously the Salt Lake City Commission. The resolution asks UTA to adopt e the system on all its runs in Utah, with particular emphasis on city routes. Commissioners also asked that the UTA make whatever cuts in service are necessary only after public hearoff-pea- k no-fa- re off-pea- k, no-far- ings are held. Two new directors in Salt Lake County's Manpower Program were officially placed on the payroll this week over the objections of County Auditor Gerald R. Hansens chief deputy. The two were hired April 14, Monte Poulson as a contracts director and Dennis Lothrop as the director of manpower. The Intermountain Power Project (IPP) a d generating plant planned for southern Utah is still on. Project directors met recently and reaffirmed their intention to continue the project, in the wake of the failure of the Kaiparowits Power Project. The plant, the same size as the defunct Kaiparowits project, would be built 10 miles north of Caineville, Wayne County, if approved. The site is close to Capitol Reef National Park, but project proponents claim winds usually blow away from the park. 3,000-megawa- coal-fire- Where thousands of listeners enjoy concert music and news every day! ty tt, |