Speech #850089938

It called upon both the Congress and the Executive to rise above partisanship so America may move ahead. Specifically. the statement urged action on a school bill providing at least $600 million annually in school construction aid. an end to delay on minimum wage extensien and passage of the MorseKelley bill which would extend coverage to an additional 9.6 million workers. passage of the Douglas area redevelopment bill. 135.000 publichousing units annually and a minimum of $250 million annually for urban renewal. a program of direct lowinterest. longterm Federal loans for middleincome housing. This statement also called upon the Congress to "rescue the Hells Canyon project on the Snake River so that America may obtain maximum benefits from this great natural resource". pass the GoreHolifield bill for a $400 million program of atomicenergy development. passage of civilrights legislation now before Congress. passage of the Celler bill which would establish a rational immigration policy. provide pay increases for Federal employees. pass the DouglasIves fulldisclosure bill. investigate the antilabor bias of the NLRB. A third statement adopted by the meeting declared that "our country will gain no benefit from a redbced budget that looks good on paper but does not provide the services essential to an expanding economy." The statement called for an end to political maneuvering on the budget. pointing out that it represents only 16 percent of national production against 20 percent in 1953. Hells Canyon Dam Legislation