Last year Congress enacted legislation that extends the General Revenue
Sharing program for three more years. This program is the cornerstone of
our efforts to maintain the fiscal health of our Nation's local government.
It will provide $4.6 billion in each of the next three years to cities,
counties and towns. This program is essential to the continued ability of
our local governments to provide essential police, fire and sanitation
services.
This legislation renewing GRS will be the cornerstone of
Federal-State-local government relations in the 1980's. This policy will
emphasize the need for all levels of government to cooperate in order to
meet the needs of the most fiscally strained cities and counties, and also
will emphasize the important role that GRS can play in forging this
partnership. I am grateful that Congress moved quickly to assure that our
Nation's localities can begin the 1980's in sound fiscal condition.