Show Cong Burtons Burton's Vote for Better Education for Utah a Losing One On a Monday evening recently recently re re- re President Richard Nixon went before a nationwide television television television tele tele- vision audience to veto the Labor-HEW Labor appropriations bill saying I 9 have vetoed this bill because the increases for HEW voted by th the Congress are mandatory mandatory mandatory man man- and because in the context context context con con- text of present efforts to curb inflation they are misdirected and excessive The next move in this highly crucial i issue s s sue u e was up to the House of Representatives The Members of Congress would decide de decide decide de- de cide w whether h e t the h e r to uphold t the h e Presidents President's veto or to over over- ride I was one of Congressmen Congressmen Con Con- Congressmen gressmen who voted to override override over over- ride but voted to sustain the veto and inasmuch as two- two thirds are necessary to override override over over- override ride a Presidential veto we were 52 votes short My decision to override the veto was not reached easily Inthis Inthis In Inthis this case I was torn between my desire to uphold the President dent for dent for whom I have gre great t personal respect respect and and the best inte interests ests of my constituents On balance I voted for what I considered considered considered con con- to be best for my state and the schools and children in my Congressional district In his veto message the President pointed out that the money for impacted areas does not always go to s school hool systems or states which have the greatest greatest greatest great great- est need Our state is an tion Utah has long been noted for its h high i gh educational responsibility responsibility responsibility and limited resources Only two s states t tat a t e Alaska s-Alaska Alaska and New Mexico Mexico have have more school age c chi children h i l 1 d r e en n per thousand of population than Utah Utah has 67 school-age school children for each adults This is 14 more more than the average for the nation Inthe In Inthe Inthe the United States at large there are 53 children per adults Utah's average personal in income income in- in income come compared to the national average personal p e r s o n al income is per pupil of school age compared to f fo for o r the nation So despite Utah's commitment commitment commitment com com- to quality high-quality education education tion we rank among the stat states s in our ability to provide r that education without substantial substantial federal assistance or an in increase increase increase in- in crease in property t taxes tares es School systems with limited revenues in my district have prepared budgets in anticipation tion that the programs authorized authorized authorized author author- by the Congress would be funded Accordingly it is not a matter of spending all of the Federal money in a limited period Most of the money anticipated anticipated anticipated anti anti- fro from f r o m F Federal sources has already been spent To deny it will mean that school systems will either end the year with a deficit school terms will be shortened or the reduction willbe will willbe willbe be paid by teachers and other school employees Other reports which have reached my desk say that in sustaining the Presidents President's veto Utah will lose 65 million in aid for impacted areas 45 million in assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Education Edu cation Act and 15 million in aid for vocational education The loss of aid to impacted school systems in my Congressional Congressional Con Con- gressional district might be especially harmful I sincerely hope this will not happen The President reported report report- ed ed-as ed as long ago as a week before before be be- be fore C Christmas Christmas h r i s tm a s in intended intended in- in intended tended to veto the bill But as recently as a day before the House voted on the matter the President said that should his veto be sustained he would seek appropriations t o 0 adequately meet he health a 1 t h and education needs The President said he would settle for about million for impacted area school aid halfway between the approximately approximately million he previously requested and the million Congress voted and this might help take care of our problem in Utah Mr Nixon has also said he intends to appoint a commission commission commission commis commis- sion to suggest changes in the complicated unequal and burdensome burdensome bur bur- ways Americans finance their public schools So now that the veto has been sustained sustained now now that its it's all past history I I hope Congress will work speedily towards another bill satisfactory to both educations education's educations education's educations education's tion's needs and to the dent It is my intention to vote again for education as I have done so many times in the past I know the problems associated associated associated assoc assoc- with education and as I have said so many times while in Utah and in the nations nation's capital The road out of poverty and degradation is the highway paved with education |