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GREAT SOCIETY LEGISLATI0N TIMELINE (1964-1966)
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Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), 1964
VISTA or Volunteers in Service to America is an anti-poverty program created by Lyndon Johnson's Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 as the domestic version of the Peace Corps. Initially, the program increased employment opportunities for conscientious people who felt they could contribute tangibly to the War on Poverty. Volunteers served in communities throughout the U.S., focusing on enriching educational programs and vocational training for the nation's underprivileged classes. -
Economic Oppertunity Act of 1964
The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 (EOA) was the centerpiece of the "War on Poverty," which in turn was a major thrust of the "Great Society" legislative agenda of the Lyndon Johnson administration. The EOA provided for job training, adult education, and loans to small businesses to attack the roots of unemployment and poverty. Originally coordinated by the Office of Economic Opportunity, many sections of the EOA have been rescinded. However, other important segments have simply been transferr -
Water Quality Act, 1965
Under the 1965 Act, States were directed to develop water quality standards establishing water quality goals for interstate waters. By the early 1970's, all the States had adopted such water quality standards. Since then, States have revised their standards to reflect new scientific information, the impact on water quality of economic development and the results of water quality controls. -
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed in 1965 as a part of the "War on Poverty." ESEA emphasizes equal access to education and establishes high standards and accountability. The law authorizes federally funded education programs that are administered by the states. In 2002, Congress amended ESEA and reauthorized it as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). -
immigrationact Act of 1965
In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed a bill that has dramatically changed the method by which immigrants are admitted to America. This bill is the Immigration Act of 1965. This act, also known as the Hart-Cellar Act [1], not only allows more individuals from third world countries to enter the US (including Asians, who have traditionally been hindered from entering America), but also entails a separate quota for refugees. [2] Under the Act, 170,000 immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere are g -
Medicaid, 1965
The Medicaid program is the third largest source of health insurance in the United States - after employer-based coverage and Medicare. As the largest program in the federal "safety net" of public assistance programs, Medicaid provides essential medical and medically related services to the most vulnerable populations in society. The significance of Medicaid's role in providing health insurance cannot be overstated. -
Medicare, 1965
Medicare is a federal program, funded from a mix of payroll taxes, premiums, and general tax revenues. On the benefits side, the government spent roughly $271 billion in 2003, 13 percent of the federal budget. Medicaid, by contrast, is a cooperative program between the states and the federal government. States administer the health insurance, and the federal government provides oversight and funding assistance. Approximately half of the Medicaid costs are borne by the states, with the federal go -
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 1965
The Department of Housing and Urban Development is the principal Federal agency responsible for programs concerned with the Nation's housing needs, fair housing opportunities, and improvement and development of the Nation's communities. -
The National Foundations of the Arts and Humanities, 1965
An independent agency of the U.S. government that supports research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. It was created by the U.S. Congress in the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965. The legislation defined “humanities” broadly to include the study of archaeology, language, linguistics, history, philosophy, ethics, comparative. -
The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act,1966
Signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on 9 September 1966, this act created the first mandatory federal safety standards for motor vehicles. Implementation authority was assigned to the Department of Commerce and, shortly thereafter, to the National Highway Safety Bureau within the newly formed Department of Transportation. The act, intended to reduce driving fatalities, reflected a growing consensus that faulty vehicles cause accidents, not (simply) faulty drivers—an approach popularized -
Clean Water Restoration Act, 1966
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the U.S. government passed a series of pollution control acts designed to clean up and protect the nation's environment. The lawmakers' intent was to reduce the impact of conventional pollutants in the air and on surface waters. Later, lawmakers recognized that toxic pollutants discharged into the water were also dangerous. They took steps to control these, too. One of the results of their efforts was the Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972, which drew—and continues
