December 20, 1974 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - HOUSE

2. We are engaged in a major review

of national energy policies. Unnecessary restrictions on coal production would limit our Nation's

freedom to adopt the best energy

options.

3. The United States uses the equivalent of 4 barrels of expensive

foreign oil for every ton of unproduced domestic coal-a situation

which cannot long be tolerated

without continued, serious eco- nomic consequences. This bill would

exacerbate this problem.

4. Unemployment would increase in

both the coal fields and in those

industries unable to obtain alternative fuel.

In addition, S. 425 provides for exces- sive Federal expenditures and would

clearly have an inflationary impact on the economy. Moreover, it contains numerous other deficiencies which have

recently been addressed in Executive

Branch communications to the Congress

concerning this legislation. In sum, I find that the adverse impact of this bill on our domcstic coal production is unacceptable at a time when the

Nation can ill afford significant losses

from this critical energy resource. It

would also further complicate our battle

against inflation. Accordingly, I am withholding my approval from S. 425.

In doing so, I am truly disappointed

and sympathetic with those in Congress

who have labored so hard to come up

with a good bill. We must continue to

strive diligently to ensure that laws and

regulations are in effect which establish

environmental protection and reclamation requirements appropriately balanced

against the Nation's need for increased

coal production. This will continue to

be my Administration's goal in the new year. H.R. 17085

MEMORANDUM OF DISAPPROVAL

I have withheld my approval from H.R.

17085, a bill that would amend Title VIII

of the Public Health Service Act to pro- vide support for the training of nurses. This measure would authorize exces- sive appropriations levels-more than

$650 million over the three fiscal years covered by the bill. Such high Federal

spending for nursing education would be

intolerable at a time when even high priority activities are being pressed to

justify their existence.

I believe nurses have played and will

continue to play an invaluable role In the

delivery of health services. The Federal

taxpayer can and should selectively as- sist nursing schools to achieve educational reforms and innovations in support

of that objective. The Administration's

1976 budget request will include funds for

this purpose. Furthermore, I intend to

urge the 94th Congress to enact comprehensive health personnel training legis- lation that will permit support of nurse training initiatives to meet the new prob- lems of the 1970's.

This act inappropriately proposes large

amounts of student and construction

support for schools of nursing. Without

any additional Federal stimulation, we expect that the number of active duty

registered nurses will increase by over

50 percent during this decade.

Such an increase suggests that our incentives for expansion have been success- ful, and that continuation of the current

Federal program is likely to be of less

benefit to the Nation than using these scarce resources in other ways. One result

of this expansion has been scattered but

persistent reports of registered nurse unemployment particularly among graduates of associate degree training programs.

Today's very different outlook is not

reflected in this bill. We must concentrate Federal efforts on the shortage of

certain nurse specialists, and persistent

geographic maldistribution. However,

this proposal would allocate less than

one-third of its total authorization to

these problems. Morever, it fails to come to grips with the problem of geographic

maldistribution.

Support for innovative projects-involving the health professions, nursing,

allied health, and public health-should

be contained in a single piece of legislation to assure that decisions made in one sector relate to decisions made in

another, and to advance the concept of an integrated health service delivery

team. By separating out nursing from

other health personnel categories, this

bill would perpetuate what has in the

past been a fragmented approach.

The enrolled bill would also extend

various special nursing student assist- ance provisions of current law. Nursing

students are overwhelmingly undergraduates, and as such should be-and are- entitled to the same types of student as- sistance available generally under the

Office of Education's programs for post- secondary education. These include, in

particular, guaranteed loans and basic

educational opportunity grants for

financially hard-pressed students. Categorical nursing student assistance activities are not appropriate and should be

phased out, as the Administration has

proposed. S. 4206

MEMORANDUM OF DISAPPROVAL

I am withholding my approval from

S. 4206, entitled "an act to provide price

support for milk at not less than 85 percentum of the parity price therefor,

and for other purposes."

This bill would require an immediate

increase of $1.12 per hundredweight in

the support price for milk, to a record

high $7.69. Thereafter, through March

31, 1976, further upward adjustments would be required every three months as necessary to reflect changes in the parity index and parity price for milk.

Such large increases in milk prices

to producers would be highly inflationary to consumers and unnecessary. The

initial increase alone would raise fluid

milk prices to consumers by about 6

cents per half gallon of milk and re- quire increasing CCC's purchase price for cheese, and subsequently market

prices, 11 or 12 cents per pound. Correspondingly large increases in the support purchase prices for butter and non- fat dry milk also would be required to

carry out the higher support price for

milk.

These significantly higher prices

would be inconsistent with the Administration's continued and concerted efforts to combat inflation and its serious

effects on the Nation's economy. Moreover, such prices would ultimately be

damaging to the dairy industry and milk

producers.

Consumers are resisting prices they

must now pay for milk and other dairy

products. To artificially force prices still

higher, as this legislation would do,

would result in further declines in con- sumption and be a strong stimulus to excess milk production.

To further reduce the demand for milk

and dairy products by the increased

prices provided in this legislation

would be detrimental to the dairy industry. A dairy farmer cannot be well

served by Government action that prices

his product out of the market. It also

would be detrimental since the Government would be required to buy the large surpluses of manufactured dairy products which this legislation would generate. This would cost taxpayers more than $400 million during the life of the

bill.

It is clearly in the best interests of

producers, consumers, taxpayers, and

the Government that this legislation

not be signed into law.

H.R. 2933

MEMORANDUM OF DISAPPROVAL

I am withholding my approval from

H.R. 2933, a bill which would amend

the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act to make existing grade and quality restrictions on certain imported com- modities applicable to imported filberts.

In my judgment, the bill would be un- fair to the American consumer and the

American farmer, as well as prejudicial

to the interests of American trade policy.

H.R. 2933 would be unfair to the con- sumer because it could unnecessarily increase prices for filbert products. Existing law already requires all imported foodstuffs to meet health standards prescribed under the Food and Drug Act.

The bill could also produce unfair

consequences for the farmer by caus- ing the loss of some of his important markets abroad. It could result at best

in comparatively limited benefits for

domestic producers while risking retaliation from abroad against the larger vol- ume of other products exported by our farmers.

Finally, the bill would be prejudicial

to our trade policy because it would be

inconsistent with our obligations under

the General Agreements on Tariffs and

Trade. It would erect a non-tariff trade

barrier at a time when we are trying to

persuade other nations to dismantle

theirs.

Although there are other commodities

which are subject to the same statutory restrictions that H.R. 2933 would impose on filberts, no new commodities have

been included in that list since January of 1971. I cannot in good conscience support the addition of a new commodity just after signing into law the new Trade

41997