We have discussed the legislative program for
the forthcoming congressional session. This program includes 12 major items
and a host of less-important bills. It will require long daily sessions,
but we are confident that it will be productive.
We intend to devote our full energies to the
enactment of this program and we will leave our principal campaigning until
the end of the session. We hope the Republicans and their candidate will
co-operate in the enactment of this legislation.
The list of major bills which we discussed
is as follows:
(1) A bill to provide medical care for
our older citizens which would incorporate the best features of the Forand
bill, the McNamara bill, the Kennedy bill, and the Anderson bill.
(2) The Housing bill which is now on
the Speaker's desk.
(3) The aid-to-education bill to which
conferees have not yet been appointed.
(4) The minimum wage bills.
(5) The mutual security appropriation
bill.
(6) The possibility of obtaining emergency
legislation to protect our Nation's farmers against the economic perils
facing them.
(7) The Labor-Health, Education, and
Welfare appropriation bill which is in conference.
(8) The situs picketing bill on which
hearings have been concluded and on which both parties promised action
last year.
(9) The State-Justice-Judiciary appropriation
bill.
(10) The small business loans bill to
raise the lending authority of the Small Business Administration so that
our small businessmen may be assisted in overcoming their problems of obtaining
financing.
(11) The public works appropriation
bill which has passed the House and has already been reported by the Senate
Appropriations Committee.
(12) The Antarctic Treaty which we have
committed ourselves to taking up as soon as possible.
This is an unfortunately heavy schedule. We
hope that partisan considerations will not interfere with enactment of
these desperately needed measures.