Evening star., 1947-05-30
Teacher Pay Bill
In Senate After
House Approval
Cain to Press for
Early Action; Other
DC. Measures Passed

4 With one hurdle passed when it
won House approval, the teacher
pay raise bill now comes before the
Senate, with prospects of fight.
The House approved the measure
yesterday afternoon without obiec-
ton and sent 1t to the Senate.
Already indorsed by the Senate
District Committee, an almost iden-
tical version of the bill will be
formally reported to the Senate
Monday by Senator Cain, Repubn-
can, of Washington.
When the Senate can consider the
teacher legislation will depend on
the pressure of its legislative busi-
ness, Senator Cain said. He will
try to get it up as soon as possible
and plans to push for it's passage,
he declared.
Senate Change Incorporated.
The House passed bill was amend-
ed on the House floor to include
one of the recent amendments put
into the Senate bill. This would
apply to administrative school off,
GERS and principals the same salary
differentials as set up for teachers,
with a maximum pay for those with
masters degrees $500 above those
having only bachelor degrees.
Another amendment, now In the
Senate version, but not In the House
bill, would liberalize sick leave pro-
visions for attendance and work
permit officers.
Both measures would establish q
so-called single salary scale plan"
whereby teachers in either ele-
mentary or high schools who have
masters degrees would be given
pay range of from $4,000 to $4,000.
but those with only bachelors de-
grees would start at $2,5oo and go
to $4,000.
In explaining the bill to the
House yesterday, Representative
Bates, Republican, of Massachusetts,
declared the so-called system of
superior ratings" had been wiped
out.
FTOViSI0n CauSed Elgnt.
1t was this provision in the bill
on which several Southern Demo-
cratic Senators waged losing fight
recently in the Senate District Com
mittee. They served notice they
would resume their opposition to
this feature when 1t reaches the
Senate floor.
They demanded that 27 high
school teachers having superior
ratings, but lacking masters de-
grees be given the same new maxi
mum pay ($4.500 available to high
school teachers having the degrees.
A move to exempt the 27 from the
single salary scale plan" in the
pay bill was defeated in committee
by a vote OF 6 to 81 The exemption
move was led by Senators Umstead
of North Carolina, Sparkman of
Alabama and Johnston of South
Carolina, all Democrats.
Generally, the teacher pay bill in
both House and Senate versions
would give teachers an increase Of
$3.50 above present temporary scales,
and Is annual step-ups in pay, in
stead Of the present 10.
Other D. C. Bill Passed.
The House, before passing the
bill, swiftly approved 10 other Dis
trict bills, sending one of them to
the White House and the remainder
to the Senate.
The bill forwarded for President
Truman's signature would increase
authorized strength of the White
House police force from its present
80 members to ITO.
One bill, by Representative Hebert.
Democrat, of Louisiana, to transfer
the probation system of the District
to the probation system of the Fed
eral Courts was withdrawn from
consideration by Representative
Dirksen, Republican, of Illinois. It
had been questioned by Representa- =
tive Stefan, Republican, of, Me-
braska, who asked to look into its
cost.
Mr.. Stefan succeeded in cutting
down from SOS, 900 to $4,000 the
amount authorized in another bill
for reception and entertainment Of
foreign dignitaries by the District
Commissioners. He said later he
felt the District taxpayers should
not carry burden really belonging
to the State Department.
Parole Bill Amended.
Representative Davis, Democrat,
of Georgia, succeeded in amending
the bill to re-organize the parole
system for prisoners convicted In
the District. His amendments, he
explained, struck from the bill re-
strictions on the discretion of judges
in imposing sentences In felony
cases. He said the changes had
the approval of Chief Justice Bolitha
]. Laws of District Court.
Other measures passed by the
House and sent to the Senate would !:
Authorize the House District
Committee to conduct an investiga-
ton of proposed Reorganization and
home rule for the District.
/ Establish the Metropolitan Police
Band as an official unit.
| Provide for payment Of benefits
to the executors or administrators
Of q person whose life is insured,
in event the named beneficiary dies
before the named insured.
| Authorize reimbursement of rea-
sonable expenses incurred by prop