CONTENTS The bill, H. R. 4743.. ORAL STATEMENTS OF PROPONENTS OF THE BILL Abbott, Mr. A. H., president of National Rehabilitation Association__ Bynum, Mr. R. L., supervisor of rehabilitation, State of Tennessee- Church, Mrs. Mary E., representing the International Society for Crippled Clark, Mr. R. R., supervisor of rehabilitation, State of Illinois. Evans, Mr. R. F., representing Leeds and Northrop Co. Foster, Mr. Terry C., Federal Staff of the Rehabilitation Service.. Gregory, Hon. William V., Congressman from the State of Kentucky. Hall, Hon. Homer W., Congressman from the State of Illinois_ Hull, Hon. William E., Congressman from the State of Illinois. Johnson, Hon. Jed, Congressman from the State of Oklahoma.. Ketcham, Hon. John C., Congressman from the State of Michigan_ Kratz, Mr. John A., Chief Vocational Rehabilitation, Federal Board for Kratz, Mr. John A., continued statement. Lee, Mr. John J., State supervisor of rehabilitation, State of Michigan.. Lee, Mr. John J., continued statement... Mapes, Hon. Carl E., Congressman from State of Michigan_ Nichols, Mr. Homer W., director of vocational rehabilitation, State of O'Leary, Mr. Wesley O., president of the American Vocational Associa- Perrin, Mr. M. B., Chief of the Rehabilitation Bureau, State of Ohio- Pittenger, Hon. William A., Congressman from the State of Minnesota.. Sullivan, Mr. Oscar M., director of reeducation, State of Minnesota.. Walter, Mr. M. M., director of bureau of rehabilitation, State of Pennsyl- Wright, Miss Betty C., executive secretary of the American Federation of Organizations for the Hard of Hearing, Washington, D. C.----- Hall, Mr. Charles F., chairman of Minnesota Committee on Social Legis- Horton, Hon. Henry H., Governor of Tennessee. Lawson, Mr. George W., secretary-treasurer of the Minnesota State Mahan, Hon. Sara W., secretary of state, Commonwealth of Kentucky__ McGrady, Mr. Edward F., representing the American Federation of Meekison, Mr. George A., Napoleon, Ohio.. Meyerding, Dr. E. A., executive secretary Minnesota Public Health Olson, Hon. Floyd B., Governor of Minnesota_ Parnell, Hon. Harvey, Governor of Arkansas... Radebaugh, Kathryne M., executive director of the Hennepin County SUPPORTING STATEMENT OF OPPONENTS OF BILL Peckham, Mr. Frank L., vice president of the Sentinels of the Republic.. VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 1932 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, (The committee met at 10 o'clock a. m., Hon. John J. Douglass, chairman of the committee, presiding.) The CHAIRMAN. The meeting will be in order. This is a meeting of the Committee on Education to consider H. R. 4743, a bill to amend an act entitled "An act to provide for the promotion of vocational rehabilitation of persons disabled in industry or otherwise and their return to civil employment." At this point of the record we will insert the bill itself. (The bill is as follows:) [H. R. 4743, Seventy-second Congress, First Session] A BILL TO amend an act entitled "An act to provide for the promotion of vocational rehabilitation of persons disabled in industry or otherwise and their return to civil employment," approved June 2, 1920, as amended Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the first section of the act entitled "An act to provide for the promotion of vocational rehabilitation of persons disabled in industry or otherwise and their return to civil employment," approved June 2, 1920, as amended (U. S. C., title 29, secs. 31 and 32), is hereby amended to read as follows: "That in order to provide for the promotion of vocational rehabilitation of persons disabled in industry or otherwise and their placement in employ ment, there is hereby authorized to be appropriated for the use of the States subject to the provisions of this act, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1933. and annually thereafter, the sum of $1,500,000. Said sums shall be allotted to the States in the proportion which their populations bear to the total popu lation in the United States, not including Territories, outlying possessions, and the District of Columbia, according to the last preceding United States census: Provided, That the allotments of funds to any State shall not be less than a minimum of $10,000 for any fiscal year: Provided further, That such portions of the sums allotted that will not be used in any fiscal year may be allotted in that year proportionately to the States which are prepared through available State funds to use the additional Federal funds. And there is hereby authorized to be appropriated annually for each fiscal year the sum of $65,000, or so much thereof as may be needed, which shall be used for the purpose of providing the minimum allotments to the States provided for in this section. "All money expended under the provisions of this act from appropriations authorized by section 1 shall be upon the condition (1) that for each dollar of Federal money expended there shall be expended in the State under the supervision and control of the State board at least an equal amount for the same purpose: Provided, That no portion of the appropriations authorized by this act shall be used by any institution for handicapped persons except for voca 1 tional rehabilitation of such individuals entitled to the benefits of this act as shall be determined by the Federal board; (2) that the State board shall annually submit to the Federal board for approval plans showing (a) the plan of administration and supervision of the work; (b) the qualifications of directors, supervisors, and other employees; and (c) the policies and methods of carrying on the work; (3) that the State board shall make an annual report to the Federal board on or before September 1 of each year on the work done in the State and on the receipts and expenditures of money under the provisions of this act; (4) that no portion of any money authorized to be appropriated by this act for the benefit of the States shall be applied, directly or indirectly, to the purchase, preservation, erection, or repair of any building or buildings or equipment, or for the purchase or rental of any lands; (5) that all vocational rehabilitation service given under the supervision and control of the State board shall be available, under such rules and regulations as the Federal board shall prescribe, to any civil employee of the United States disabled while in the performance of his duty." SEC. 2. Section 5 of such act of June 2, 1920, as amended (U. S. C., title 29, sec. 34), is amended to read as follows: "SEC. 5. That the Secretary of the Treasury, upon the certification of the Federal board as provided in this act, shall pay in equal semiannual payments, on the 1st day of July and January of each year, to the custodian of each State appointed as herein provided the moneys to which it is entitled under the provisions of this act. The money so received by the custodian for any State shall be paid out on the requisition of the State board as reimbursement for services already rendered or expenditures already incurred and approved by said State board. The Federal Board for Vocational Education shall make an annual report to the Congress on or before December 1 on the administration of this act and shall include in such report the reports made by the State boards on the administration of this act by each State and the expenditure of the money allotted to each State." SEC. 3. Section 6 of Act of June 2, 1920, as amended (U. S. C., title 29, sec. 39), is amended as follows: "SEC. 6. That there is hereby authorized to be appropriated to the Federal Board for Vocational Education the sum of $100,000 annually, commencing July 1, 1932, for the purpose of making studies, investigations, and reports regarding the vocational rehabilitation of disabled persons and their placements in suitable or gainful occupations, and for the administrative expenses of said board incident to performing the duties imposed by this act, including salaries of such assistants, experts, clerks, and other employees, in the District of Columbia or elsewhere as the board may deem necessary, actual traveling and other necessary expenses incurred by the members of the board and by its employees, under its orders, including attendance at meetings of educational associations and other organizations, rent and equipment of offices in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, purchase of books of reference, law books, and periodicals, stationery, typewriters, and exchange thereof, miscellaneous supplies, postage on foreign mail, printing and binding to be done at the Government Printing Office, and all other necessary expenses." SEC. 4. This act shall take effect on July 1, 1932. The CHAIRMAN. We will now have the pleasure and honor of hearing from the sponsor of the bill, Mr. Bankhead, of Alabama. STATEMENT OF HON. WILLIAM B. BANKHEAD, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ALABAMA Mr. BANKHEAD. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, I do not think it is necessary for me in presenting the bill and in undertaking in a measure to direct the course of the examination of witnesses before the committee, to make any extended or elaborate statement. I think that certainly the older members of the committee are entirely familiar with the main provisions and pur poses of this bill and have been made acquainted with the beneficent results that have accrued from its operation since it was first passed in 1920. I guess that I may be pardoned for taking some little measure of personal pride-not pride, but certainly very great personal gratification-in the operation of this bill and its great humanitarian and economic benefits to the large class of our people who have been maimed in industry. In the course of the hearings I hope to have it developed and to show the actual economic value particularly. I do not think it is even necessary to make an argument as to the humanity of the bill. It takes men from the human scrap heap whom misadventure in industry or accident may mean in their original state charges upon the community or charity of their family. Under the provisions of this bill they are trained, guided, and placed in actual, legitimate employment in the country. In my opinion I know of no Government money that has been spent in the last 10 or 12 years that has really accomplished a greater economic benefit, if you desire to put it upon that coldblooded basis, than the operation of this bill. The bill, as it is now presented to the committee, is in its main purposes merely seeking authorization for the extension of the activities of the bill, so as to train those who are disabled in industry. It has one or two features in it that will be explained by some members of the organization, who are probably more familiar with the mechanics of it than I myself. Without further statement, with the permission of the chairman, I will undertake to introduce some witnesses, because we want to make these hearings as brief as possible in order to get the substantive facts before the committee for its consideration. The CHAIRMAN. At this point, Mr. Bankhead, I might say that it is the desire of the Chair, and I know it will be the desire of the committee, to try to finish the hearing for the proponents to-day. Then, if there is any opposition, they will be heard to-morrow at the continued hearing. So, the briefer the statements are the more it will be appreciated by the committee. Mr. BANKHEAD. I think that is a very wise admonition. Before we go into hearing from some of these organizations, Congressman Woodruff, who has taken a very keen interest in this work, would like to make a short statement. The CHAIRMAN. We will be very glad to hear from him. STATEMENT OF HON. ROY 0. WOODRUFF, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF MICHIGAN Mr. WOODRUFF. Mr. Chairman, I have been more or less familiar with the operations of this law in the State of Michigan during the past two years. I had occasion to see the operation of it in connection with the disabled people of my own district. I find that the bureau of rehabilitation of the State of Michigan has in every possible, conceivable way_done everything that could be done for these unfortunate people. It is perfectly amazing when |