CONTENTS III Statement of Hon. Frank Bane, executive director, Council of State Gov- Articles of incorporation of the Council of State Governments. List of commissions affiliated with the Council of State Governments. Statement of William Treadway, secretary and treasurer of the Indiana Statement of Hon. T. V. Smith, a Representative in Congress from the COUNCIL OF STATE GOVERNMENTS WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 1939 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met at 10:30 a. m., Hon. Charles F. McLaughlin (acting chairman) presiding. The committee had under consideration House Joint Resolution 190, which is as follows: [H. J. Res. 190, 76th Cong., 1st sess.] JOINT RESOLUTION To make available to the Federal Government the facilities of the Council of State Governments, and for other purposes Whereas many matters of national concern which have been the subject of legislation by the Congress and for which funds have been appropriated by the Federal Government require State cooperation for their successful execution, as in the cases of labor standards, employment service, social security, highways, soil conservation, crime prevention, public health, flood control, education, and child welfare; and Whereas failure to obtain satisfactory cooperation and coordination between the several States for the solution of these problems results in attempts to solve them by action of the Federal Government; and Whereas the several States have established a joint agency, known as the Council of State Governments, to advance cooperation between the States and with the other units of government; and Whereas almost three-fourths of the States, namely thirty-four, have recognized the official status of the Council of State Governments and have established commissions on interstate cooperation, composed of legislators and administrative officers, as permanent agencies to carry forward their participation in the council; and Whereas the Council of State Governments has demonstrated its usefulness to the State and Federal Governments and officials by the activity of its interstate commissions on crime, on social security, and on conflicting taxation, by its national and regional conferences on interstate problems, and by its research and exchange of information; and Whereas these activities of the Council of State Governments will serve to reduce the burdens and difficulties which are imposed upon the people by discordant laws, competitive practices, and antagonistic policies of the State governments as to each other and as to the Federal Government: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Council of State Governments and its affiliated commissions are hereby recognized as agencies which are capable of rendering valuable assistance toward the advancement of cooperation and coordination between the States and the Federal Government. SEC. 2. The heads of the various departments, independent establishments, and agencies of the Federal Government, or such persons as they may designate for this purpose, are hereby authorized to utilize the services of, and to cooperate with, the Council of State Governments, the commissions on interstate cooperation, and such interstate commissions as have been and may be established by the said council. SEC. 3. (a) There is hereby authorized to be appropriated to the Council of State Governments for the fiscal year ending July 30, 1938, and for each year thereafter, not to exceed $150,000, which funds shall be paid to the said council by the Secretary of the Treasury upon condition that such funds shall be expended for the purposes of advancing cooperation between the States and with the Federal Government by encouraging the formulation of proposals for, and by facilitating, the adoption of compacts, the enactment of uniform or reciprocal statutes, the adoption of uniform or reciprocal administrative rules and regulations, the informal cooperation of governmental offices with one another, the personal cooperation of governmental officials and employees with one another individually, the interchange and clearance of research and information, and any other suitable process. (b) Funds appropriated under this authorization shall be paid to the said council upon the further condition that the said council shall, upon request, make available its indexes, digests, compilations, bulletins, and other data to either House of Congress, its committees and Members, and to the various departments and agencies of the Federal Government. (c) The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to withhold any of the funds so appropriated whenever he shall have satisfactory proof that the said council is not complying with the conditions set forth in this section. Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Gentlemen, the special order for this morning is a hearing on House Joint Resolution 190, and we will hear Mr. Bane. STATEMENT OF FRANK BANE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE COUNCIL OF STATE GOVERNMENTS Mr. BANE. This resolution, Mr. Chairman, provides for participation on the part of the Federal Government in the activities of the Council of State Governments, and, with your permission, I should like to read just a brief statement, outlining what the Council of State Governments is, how it is supported, and what it does, with some brief illustrations with respect to the Federal-State relationship. The Council of State Governments is a joint governmental agency which serves the several States. It is an outgrowth of the American Legislators' Association, which was established in 1925, and has grown until now it includes 41 States. These have, by legislative action, become official members of the council. In so doing, each member State has established by law a commission on interstate cooperation, which represents that State in developing the policies and determining the program of the Council of State Governments. These State commissions on interstate cooperation are the component parts of the council and are made up of 15 members, 5 from the State senate, 5 from the State house of representatives, and 5 administrative officials appointed by the Governor. The council also serves as a secretariat for the Governors' Conference, the National Association of Attorneys General, and the National Association of Secretaries of State. The council is nonpartisan in its objectives and nonpolitical in its operation. It maintains a staff of trained personnel who are qualified to serve in a technical advisory capacity to State officials and State legislators and to perform other services necessary in the field of State administration and interstate cooperation. The council is controlled by a board of managers made up of members selected by the various State commissions on interstate cooperation, 10 members at large selected by the board itself, and the executive officers of the Governors' Conference, the Attorneys General As |