CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - SENATE October 1, 1976

completed a study, almost a year ago, of

the definitions of "grant", "contract"

and "cooperative agreement." That

study, which has been reviewed by other

Federal agencies, public interest groups,

and other interested associations and

groups, confirmed support for the objectives of this legislation but led to serious

questions as to whether 'at this point

legislation is necessary or desirable.

No matter how careful the drafting, a

bill which requires thousands of transactions to be placed into one of three

categories will probably result, in many

cases, in limiting the flexibility of Federal agencies in administering their programs and creating a large number of

technical difficulties for them. Federally

supported basic research programs would

be particularly difficult to classify in

terms of the definitions in this bill.

The Office of Management and Budget

is continuing to work in this area with

the cooperation of other Federal agencies. It plans to issue policy guidance to

Federal agencies that would more clearly

distinguish between procurement and

assistance transactions and to better define patterns of assistance relationships

between Federal agencies and funding

recipients.

In addition, OMB has been developing

more comprehensive guidance for assistance programs, as indicated by the recent circulars issued by the agency establishing uniform administrative requirements for hospitals, universities,

and nonprofit grantees. I am directing

OMB to continue to emphasize such activities.

Subsequent modifications and refinements can be made in these directives

when further operating experience and

evaluation suggest they are needed. Such

an evolving set of activities in the Executive branch, a step-by-step process which

learns from experience, is preferable to

another lengthy study as required by this

bill.

In view of the extremely complex and

changing nature of Federal assistance

programs, I believe that Congress should

not legislate categories of Federal assistance relationships, but leave the number

and nature of such classifications to the

Executive branch to determine and implement. If experience from the studies

and evaluations now underway demonstrates that legislation is reouired, that

experience would also provide a better

foundation for formulating legislation

than we have now.

Accordingly, I must withhold my approval of S. 1437.

S. 3553

MEMORANDUM OF DISAPPROVAL

I am withholding my approval from S.

3553, the Foreign Sovereign Immunities

Act of 1976, for technical reasons.

In its haste to adjourn, the Congress

passed identical Senate and House bills

on this subject. At the time the Senate

passed the House bill, H.R. 11315, it attempted to vacate its earlier passage of

S. 3553 but was unable to do so because it

had left the Senate's jurisdiction. The

House, unaware that the Senate had

passed the House bill, also passed the

Senate bill.

In view of the Senate's action in attempting to vacate its passage of S. 3553,

there is doubt that S. 3553 has been properly enrolled, and therefore I am separately approving H.R. 11315 and must

withhold my approval from S. 3553.

GERALD R. FORD.

THE WHITE HOUSE.

APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS OF THE

COMMISSION ON POSTAL SERVICE

Pursuant to the provisions of section

7(a) (1) (B), Public Law 94-421, the

President pro tempore appointed as

members of the Commission on Postal

Service Mr. James H. Rademacher and

Ms. Rose Russell Blakely.

SENATE RESOLUTION 586-SUBMISSION OF A RESOLUTION REORGANIZING THE COMMITTEE SYSTEM

OF THE SENATE

(Referred to the Committee on Rules

and Administration.)

Under authority of the order of the

Senate of September 30, 1976, Mr. STEVENSON and Mr. BROCK (for themselves,

Mr. CRANSTON, Mr. DOLE, Mr. DOMENICI,

Mr. GRAVEL, Mr. HANSEN, Mr. HATFIELD,

Mr. HATHAWAY, Mr. METCALF, Mr. Moss,

Mr. NELSON, ana Mr. PACKWOOD) submitted the following resolution on October 15, 1976:

Resolved, That this resolution may be cited

as the "Committee System Reorganization

Amendments of 1977".

TITLE I-STANDING COMMITTEES JURISDICTION: SIZE

SEC. 101. Rule XXV of the Standing Rules

of the Senate is amended by striking out

paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 and inserting in lieu

thereof the following new paragraphs:

"1. The following standing committees

shall be appointed at the commencement of

each Congress, with leave to report by bill or

otherwise on matters within their respective

jurisdictions:

"(a) (1) Committee on Agriculture and

Small Business, to which committee shall be

referred all proposed legislation, messages,

petitions, memorials, and other matters relating primarily to the following subjects:

"1. Agriculture and agricultural commodities.

"2. Inspection of livestock, meat, and agricultural products.

"3. Animal industry and diseases.

"4. Pests and pesticides.

"5. Agricultural extension services and experiment stations.

"6. Forestry.

"7. Agricultural economics and research.

"8. Home economics.

"9. Plant industry, soils, and agricultural

engineering.

"10. Farm credit and farm security.

"11. Rural development, rural electrification, and watersheds.

"12. Agricultural production, marketing,

and stabilization of prices.

"13. Crop insurance and soil conservation.

"14. Human nutrition.

"15. School nutrition programs.

"16. Food stamp programs.

"17. Small business.

"18. Food from fresh waters and the sea.

"19. Irrigation and reclamation.

"20. Land-use planning.

"21. Regional economic development.

"(2) Such committee shall also study and

review, on a comprehensive basis, matters

relating to food, nutrition, and hunger, both

in the United States and in foreign countries, and all problems of American small

business enterprises and all facts possible

in relation thereto which would not only

be of public interest, but which would also

aid the Congress in enacting remedial legislation, and report thereon from time to time.

"(b) Committee on Appropriations, to

which committee shall be referred all proposed legislation, messages, petitions,

memorials, and other matters relating to the

following subjects:

"1. Except as provided in subparagraph

(e), appropriation of the revenue for the

support of the Government.

"2. Rescission of appropriations contained

in appropriation Acts (referred to in section

105 of title 1, United States Code).

"3. The amount of new spending authority

described in section 401(c) (2) (A) and (B)

of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974

provided in bills and resolutions referred to

the committee under section 401(b) (2 of

that Act (but subject to the provisions of

section 401(b) (3) of that Act). "4. New advance spending authority described in section 401(c) (2) (C) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 provided in

bills and resolutions referred to the committee under section 401(b) (2) of that Act

(but subject to the provisions of section

401(b) (3) of that Act).

"(c) (1) Committee on Armed Services, to

which committee shall be referred all proposed legislation, messages, petitions,

memorials, and other matters relating to

the following subjects:

"1. The common defense.

"2. The Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, the Department of the

Navy, and the Department of the Air Force,

generally.

3. Pay, promotion, retirement, and other

benefits and privileges of members of the

Armed Forces.

"4. Military research and development.

"5. Selective service system.

"5. Strategic and critical materials necessary for the common defense.

"7. Aeronautical and space activities

peculiar to or primarily associated with the

development of weapons systems or military

operations.

"8. Panama Canal Zone government.

"9. Foreign military sales (joint).

"10. National security aspects of atomic

energy.

"(2) Such committee shall also study and

review, on a comprehensive basis, matters relating to the common defense poUcy of the

United States, and report thereon from time

to time.

"(d) (1) Committee on Banking, Housing,

and Urban Affairs, to which committee shall

be referred all proposed legislation, messages,

petitions, memorials, and other matters relating to the following subjects:

-1. Banks, banking, and financial institutions.

"2. International finance, including international financial and monetary organizations.

"3. Financial aid to commerce and industry.

"4. Deposit insurance.

"5. Public and private housing (including

veterans' housing).

-6. Federal monetary policy, including Federal Reserve System.

"7. Money and credit, including currency

and coinage.

"8. Issuance and redemption of notes.

"9. Control of prices of commodities, rents,

and services.

"10. Urban development (except for urban

mass transit).

"11. Economic stabilization and defense

production.

"12. Export controls.

"13. Export and foreign trade promotion.

"14. Nursing home construction.

"(2) Such committee shall also study and

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