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January 1970

February 1970

January Calendar
January Units - Review and Consensus - Trade / Development Aid
From the President (Lila Grossman)
In Our Nation's Capitol - "Taxation without Representation" (Jacque Streeter)
Publication Bonus
Air and Water Pollution Conference (Ann Hansen)
Go-See Tours - City Council (Pattye Layfield)
Workshop 70 -- How to Effectuate Legislation (Alice Scott)
General Meeting (Nan Lowers)
Committe Meeting Scheduled
Open Forum on Legislative Issues

From the President

When the National Board meets in January 1970 two of the items of business will be to evaluate the consensus reports from come 1,200 local Leagues on the Electoral College study as well as the recommendations for the 1970-72 National Study Program.

The November Unit reports directed the Honolulu Board to send in the following consensus report on the Electoral College:

There is a need for a change in the method of electing the President and Vice President of the United States. Direct Election of the President and Vice President is preferable to an election process which includes a state related step. The Units unanimously supported the 40% figure as the necessary percent to elect (in a three-way race). On the contingent election question the feeling was strong for a National popular run off between the top two as quickly as possible. There was no support for an election going into the U.S. House. On retaining the office of electors the majority response was NO. On distributing the electoral votes among the various candidates, should the direct election method not be in use, the membership favored a distribution according the. the percent of the popular votes cast.

In our National program recommendations three new programs were almost equally popular: Congressional reform, population control, and environmental study. After a lengthy discussion of what the recommendations of the Board should be, the members generally agreed that the items should be limited, i.e., reflecting the thinking of the membership. The Honolulu League submitted the following:

  1. Maintenance of the existing programs with the exception that "A Study of the Electoral College" be changed to "support" whatever position the National Board takes regarding the consensus (see above).

  2. Adoption of a new study item to be either Congressional Reform or environmental control including population.

Throughout the fall we had numerous calls for a Time for Action on the Economic Opportunity Act of 1969 and on other programs supported by the League under the Human Resources item. The general purpose was to continue our efforts in both the House and Senate to work for a two-year, OEO authorization with full funding (2 billion) and without crippling amendments. The League opposed the Murphy amendment (giving governors veto power over OEO Legal Services), the Green-Quie substitute plan and the Whitten amendment to the HEW bill (anti-school desegregation).

Debate on the bills centered on two basic and related issues: 1) city and state control of the distribution of federal anti-poverty money, and 2) control of the kinds of programs and activities which anti-poverty funds can support. In mid-December Congress passed for two years the CEO bill with full funding. The League-opposed Murphy and Whitten amendments as well as the Green-Quie substitute plan were all defeated. To date I have been unable to find out how Hawaii's representative voted. A follow-up report will appear in a future issue of the VOTER.

Excellent accounts of the suspenseful existence of the OEO and its latest hairbreadth escape are contained in the New York Times supplement to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin dated December 21, 1969 and in Business Week dated December 20, 1969, "How the Mayors Saved OEO."

Lila Grossman

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