Show Congress To W Work By REP LAURENCE BURTON Now that the convention dust has finally settled at Chicago and Miami its it's back to work Congress will pick up where it left off olf a month ago to try to complete business for the Congress ITS IT'S DOUBTFUL Congress can really do much before the is nothing but a memory Sen Senate e Majority Leader Mike 1 Mansfield Montana of fw Montana said Congress mi might t celebrate thiS year year h hard hard fd af of work in the Capitol A House leader said Con Congress ress might recess again for the elections ns and then come back for the remaining days in November and December But most Congressmen believe believe believe be be- lieve that when Congress gets back to business this week it will be a month to a month-and- month half a-half of work and that's it AND IF YOU can judge this years year's session be session to-be to with past extra sessions not much can be hoped for In past Presidential election years there have been five extra sessions called after the national conventions None really accomplished much The last extra session in a Presidential year was four years ago when Congress finally finally finally final- final ly adjourned Oct 3 1964 Out of the hundreds of bills before the two chambers the President signed but 15 major bills during I the entire year and Congress itself left 13 major bills to virtually virtually virtually vir vir- die because of no action I taken i OF COURSE its it's not really as bleak as one might think For instance out of the Congress have come several good bills One was the Omnibus Crime Bill We have watched on tv and read in in the newspapers how crime has been on the increase in all of our major cities The crime bill is a start Naturally it wont won't satisfy everyone or solve all the problems but it isa is isa isa a beginning OUR LOW-INCOME LOW families in the nation are now being given the opportunity to buy housing with low-interest low rates thanks to the Housing and Urban Urban Urban Ur Ur- ban Development Act Other legislation includes the Truth in Lending Act National Nation l School Lunch Program and unfortunately the surtax Isay I Isay Isay say unfortunately because nobody wants to pay any higher taxes than we presently do but if the surtax had not been imposed the fiscal problems of the country would be much greater than they presently are BUT WHAT about the remaining remaining remaining re re- days left in the Naturally too much legislation and not enough time are the main problems Some of the major items confronting Congress Congress Congress Con Con- gress include the following 1 The Colorado River Project Project Project Bill passed by both House and Senate and by a conference committee should have easy sailing to the Presidents President's desk for signature 2 A WELFARE and Pension Pension Pension Pen Pen- sion Plan Protection Act to protect the interests of participants participants participants pants in welfare and pension benefit plans 3 The establishment of a national water commission I providing for a comprehensive review of national and water resource problems and pro pro- grams 4 A REGIONAL medical program which would extend money to programs initiated by heart disease cancer and stroke problems The legislation legislation legislation legisla legisla- tion also authorizes grants for construction of facilities for the prevention and treatment of al al- al 5 A b bill which would facilitate facilitate facilitate tate naturalization procedure of aliens serving in the US U.S. Armed Forces This would solve problems of the type which occurred in Salt Lake City not too long ago when aboy a aboy aboy boy who served in the Armed Forces was denied citizenship a and d was almost deported from this country 6 LEGISLATION providing for protection of public health from radiation emissions from electronic products such as tv sets 7 Legislation which would increase penalties for illegal manufacture and traffic of LSD and other dangerous drugs 8 THE FIREARMS Control Act should bring forth another I donnybrook in the Senate as it did in the House Not too many manyI I members are all enthused about the way the first gun control amendment was rammed through 9 There is a bill on National National National Na Na- Wild and Scenic Rivers which would affect seven rivers in five western states I 10 The Flaming Gorge Bill putting the recreation area under under uni un- un i der administration of one department department department de- de the US U.S. Forest Servi I j i ice I 11 A NATIONAL Trails Bill which includes the Mormon I Pioneer Trail and the Mormon Battalion Trail The bill which has passed both the House aid id the Senate now faces final action action action ac ac- tion in a conference committee 12 Legislation providing forthe for forthe forthe the continued development of a safe and efficient national airport airport air airport air air- port and airway system I 13 EDUCATION bills in- in a n year five-year extension of the Higher Education Facilities Act the National Defense Education Education Education Edu Edu- cation Act and the extension and improvement of the Vocational Vocational Vocational Voca Voca- I Act 14 Legislation for the revision revision revision sion of the Subversive Activities Activities Activities ties Control Act 15 DURING such an important important important tant election year there should be a suspension of the FCC Equal Time provision to enable enable enable en en- able a Nixon Nixon-Humphrey debate without having to give equal time to the numerous other Presidential candidates I intend in- in intend intend in in- tend to support this legislation should it come up during the extra session 16 The Abe Fortas appointment appointment appointment appoint appoint- ment to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court will probably I Ibe be held up by the Senate until next session 17 AND CERTAINLY authorization authorization authorization au au- and appropriation I legislation will be completed for foreign aid and defense Theodore White wrote in Making of a President 1960 that the extra Congressional session after the conventions was a purposeless session I dont don't think well we'll churn out the bills as some expect but I do think this extra session will see some benefit to the people of the country I |