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7342687
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President's Letter to Congress Submitting the Federal Assistance for Community Services Act
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7342687
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document
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President's Letter to Congress Submitting the Federal Assistance for Community Services Act
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White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
Press Releases
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7342687
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23
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1976-02-23
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1976
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Digitized from Box 22 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE
February 23, 1976
UNTIL 12:00 NOON (EST)
MONDAY, February 23, 1976
Office of the White House Press Secretary
THE WHITE HOUSE
TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:
Today I am submitting to the Congress the Federal
Assistance for Community Services Act.
This proposal is in keeping with my philosophy of
reducing unnecessary and burdensome Federal restrictions
while increasing State and local flexibility and respon-
sibility in the administration of social programs.
This reform proposal will improve and strengthen the
program of social services established under Title XX of the
Social Security Act. It will provide a $2.5 billion block
grant annually to the States on a population basis. It
will eliminate the requirement for State matching funds,
as well as most Federal requirements and prohibitions on
the use of Federal funds.
These changes are an important step toward an improved
Federal-State relationship in the social services field.
Enactment of Title XX in January, 1975, was a beginning.
That law eliminated many of the problems of the past by
giving States broad authority to allocate resources within
a general framework. Rather than making States responsible
to the Federal government, accountability for social services
was made a matter between each State and its citizens through
an open planning process -- a process which has shown great
promise.
Title XX, however, did not go far enough. It added
new restrictions which interfere with effective delivery
of services. Officials at State and local levels of govern-
ment indicate that they are willing and able to assume
greater responsibility to gain greater flexibility in meeting
local needs.
The proposed Federal Assistance for Community Services
Act will:
-- Eliminate the requirement that States must match
one State dollar for three Federal dollars.
-- Eliminate numerous restrictive conditions on how
Federal funds may be used: burdensome Federal
requirements for child day care; limitations on
social services funding for health and institutional
care; and procedures for the imposition of fees and
the determination of eligibility.
-- Concentrate Federal dollars on people most in need,
those under the poverty threshold and those receiving
public assistance.
more
2
-- Assure that no State will receive less money as a
result of this legislation than it received in fiscal
year 1976.
-- Decrease Federal monitoring and oversight of State
plan requirements and expenditures of funds with the
States assuming greater responsibility in this area.
-- Improve the public planning process by which citizens
and local governments participate in identifying needs
and establishing priorities.
I ask the Congress to enact this legislation promptly so
that States may begin to use Federal and local money more
effectively.
GERALD R. FORD
THE WHITE HOUSE,
February 23, 1976.
####