Major Great Society Programs

Major Great Society Programs

1964

·         Tax Reduction Act cuts by some $10 billion the taxes paid primarily by corporations and wealthy individuals.

·         Civil Rights Act bans discrimination in public accommodations, prohibits discrimination in any federally assisted program, outlaws discrimination in most employment, and enlarges federal powers to protect voting rights and to speed school desegregation.

·         Economic Opportunity Act authorizes $1 billion for a War on Poverty and establishes the Office of Economic Opportunity to coordinate Head Start, Upward Bound, VISTA, the Job Corps, and similar programs.

1965

·         Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the first general federal-aid-to-education law in American history, provides more than $1 billion to public and parochial schools for textbooks, library materials, and special education programs.

·         Voting Rights Act suspends literacy tests and empowers “federal examiners” to register qualified voters in the South.

·         Medical Care Act creates a federally funded program of hospital and medical insurance for the elderly (Medicare) and authorizes federal funds to the states to provide free health care for welfare recipients (Medicaid).

·         Omnibus Housing Act appropriates nearly $8 billion for low-and middle-income housing and for rent supplements for low-income families.

·         Immigration Act ends the discriminatory system of national-origins quotas established in 1924.

·         Appalachian Regional Development Act targets $1 billion for highway construction, health centers, and resource development in the depressed areas of Appalachia.

·         Higher Education Act appropriates $650 million for scholarships and low-interest loans to needy college students and for funds for college libraries and research facilities.

·         National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities are created to promote artistic and cultural development.

1966

·         Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act provides extensive subsidies for housing, recreational facilities, welfare, and mass transit to selected “model cities” and covers up to 80 percent of the costs of slum clearance and rehabilitation.

·         Motor Vehicle Safety Act sets federal safety standards for the auto industry and a uniform grading system for tire manufacturers.

·         Truth in Packaging Act broadens federal controls over the labeling and packaging of foods, drugs, cosmetics, and household supplies.