Evening star., 1951-03-04
The Week in Religion
By RELIGIOUS News Service


Federal aid to education bills
have again been introduced in
Congress. During the last session
such bills were stymied because
of controversy over whether
parochial schools should receive
any Federal aid.
The bills currently introduced,
however. appear to keep the reli-
gious factor at a minimum. AS
regards non-public schools they
would confine Federal aid pri-
marily to financing in whole, or
in part, the transportation of pu-
pills to parochial schools.
Senator James E. Murray, DEM
ocrat. of Montana, chairman of
the Senate Committee on Labor
and Public Welfare. is the spon-
sor of Senate bill which would
provide such Federal aid for the
transportation of pupils attend
ing church schools. The school,
bus provision Incorporated in
Senator Murray's measure Is SINH
lar to an amendment which the
Senate adopted to the Thomas
bill in 1949.
Skirts Direct Aid Issue.
The Murray bill skirts, as did
the Thomas bill before it, the
question of whether Federal aid
will go directly to non-public
schools. 1t merely provides that
the funds payable to a State Shall
be disbursed for any current ex-
penditure for elementary or Sec
ondary school purposes for which
public revenues derived from State
or local sources may constitution
ally be expended in such States. !"
Thus the question is left ulti-
mately to the States.
Bills for Federal aid to educa-
ton are also currently before the
House of Representatives.
A measure by Representative
Thomas H. Werdel, Republican. of
California. is explicit in leaving
the question Of aid to parochial
schools to the States.
Representative John Fogarty
Democrat. of Rhode Island, has
introduced a bill which, like the
Murray bill, would provide public
transportation for children at
tending non-public schools.
The Fogarty bill declares that
non-public school children shall
be entitled to transportation, un-
der the same limitations as apply
in the case of children attending
public schools, in any public school
bus operating along a regularly
established route whenever such
transportation is financed in
whole or in part by funds drawn
from Federal aid.
Separate Financing
Were the transportation to be
financed separately, no provision
exists for nonpublic schools in
the Fogarty bill. a contingency
which the Murray bill attempts to
meet.
Representative Graham A. Bar
den, Democrat. of North Carolina,
chairman of the House Committee
on Education and Labor, has an
nounced he will shortly introduce
a bill which will provide that pub
lie funds 60 only to public schools.
A similar bill introduced by Mr..
Barden in the 81st Congress was
killed in committee.
Meanwhile, the issue providing
public bus transportation to paro-
chial school students is one facing
several State legislatures.
In Montana, a bill to permit
school pupils to ride in public
school buses were space is avail
able was killed by a House COM
mittee.
A similar measure died in the
last Montana legislative session
two years ago.
New Mexico Favorable.
A New Mexico bill which would
give parochial school pupils of
the State the right to ride on
public school buses was reported
favorable by the House educa-
ton committee. This action
places the bill on the House cal