Higher Education and National Affairs - Volume XIII, Number 1 - How Congress Acted on Education Laws in First Session Compared With Program Endorsed by ACE

Sep 21, 2026

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American Council on Education bulletin issue reviews how the 88th Congress acted on major higher-education and related laws during its first session, comparing congressional decisions with the Council’s January 1963 11-point federal action program. It details President Johnson’s January 8 budget recommendations for education, health, retraining, and handicapped assistance, plus legislative and regulatory steps around the Higher Education Facilities Act, the NDEA extension, and follow-on funding debates within Congress.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

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Council Proposal

Congressional Action

X Higher EducationandNational Affairs How Congress Acted on EducationLaws in First Session ComparedWith Program Endorsed by ACE(See Pages 2 and 3) American Council on Education ·1785 Massachusetts Avenue,N.W.,Washington 36,D.C. January 13,1964 Volume XIII,Number 1 Despite calling for a fiscal 1965 budget of $500 million lessthan that proposed for 1964,President Johnson in his Stateof the Union speech on January 8 declared that "I am ableto recommend in this reduced budget the most Federal support President Johnson Says BudgetWill Recommend 'Most FederalSupport in History for Education' in history for education,for health,for retraining the unemployed,and for helping the eco-nomically and physically handicapped. The details of the President's $97.9 billion budget will be outlined in a special messageto Congress on January 21.In the area of education,however,it can be expected that fundswill be asked to implement the Higher Education Facilities Act (Public Law 88-204)and toincrease the amount of student loan funds available under the National Defense Education Actas amended and extended by Public Law 88-210.The Higher Education Facilities Act author-izes the expenditure of $230 million a year in grants and $120 million a year in loans for theconstruction of academic facilities,plus $25 million in the first year and $60 million in thenext two years for the construction of graduate academic facilities.Under the one-year ex-tension of the NDEA approved late in the first session of the 88th Congress,the amount author-ized for student loans was increased from $90 million to $125 million for the current fiscalyear and to $135 million for fiscal 1965. It is anticipated that Congress will be asked to appropriate supplemental funds to makeuse of the authorizations in both the Higher Education Facilities Act and the NDEA extensionin fiscal 1964 and that the Administration will request the full authorized amounts for the sec-ond year in the fiscal 1965 budget to be presented on January 21. Supplemental funds already have been asked of the Congress to launch the Health Profes-sions Educational Assistance Act (Public Law 88-129)and the Mental Retardation Facilitiesand Communitv Mental Health Centers Construction Act (Public Law 88-164)--see Bulletin,Vol.XII,No.44.In the closing days of the first session,the House passed House Joint Reso-lution 875 which would have provided funds for the mental retardation program.However,the measure failed to clear Congress when the House refused to accept a Senate amendmentadding $216 million for Federally affected school districts. In anticipation of Congressional action on appropriations,two task forces in the U.S.Office of Education have begun preparing proposed regulations for administering the HigherEducation Facilities Act.Provisions of the new act have been explained to college and uni-versity representatives attending five regional meetings.Special memoranda have been sentto state governors calling attention to the fact that any state wanting to participate in the grantprogram must either designate an existing state agency or establish an agency which is broad-ly representative of the public and of institutions of higher education (including junior col-leges and technical institutes)in the state"in order to administer the program and to estab-lish project priorities.The Office also is seeking a qualified individual from higher educa-tion to head a new bureau of higher education assistance which will administer the program. The NDEA should be amended to increasethe total number of fellowships available from 1,500 to 5,000 and to provide each institution aflat grant of $3,000 a year for each graduate stu-dent enrolled under the NDEA fellowship pro-gram. NDEA institutes in modern foreign languageshould be extended to college teachers of modernlanguagewithout any distinction between teachersfrom public andprivate institutions.These insti-tutes should be authorized toinclude

FAQs

What is the central purpose of this bulletin issue?

It compares the American Council on Education’s endorsed federal proposals with what Congress actually enacted during the first session, focusing on education-related legislation and funding decisions.

Which federal education initiatives are discussed in relation to congressional action?

The issue discusses the Higher Education Facilities Act (Public Law 88-204) and amendments and extensions under the National Defense Education Act (NDEA), including changes affecting student loans and fellowships.

How does the issue connect President Johnson’s budget message to education law decisions?

It ties the education funding expectations in Johnson’s January 8 State of the Union remarks to the legislative and appropriations steps Congress and the Administration were expected to take, including implementation planning and proposed supplemental funds.

Sep 21, 2026

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