Statement by the President Upon Signing Bill for the Relief of the Princess Anne County School Board, Virginia.
I HAVE signed H.R. 1627, "For the relief of the Princess Anne County School Board, Virginia." The noise and potential danger from jet aircraft using the Oceana Naval Air Base has made certain school buildings belonging to the Board largely unusable, and this bill directs that the Board be compensated for them in an amount to be determined by the Court of Claims.
The courts provide a remedy in cases such as this, and I believe judicial remedies, rather than legislative determinations, should be pursued when they are available.
Because the Board's claim is obviously meritorious, I did not withhold approval of H.R. 1627. However, I wish to make it clear at this first opportunity that I do not approve the concept of Congressional action when adequate relief is available in judicial proceedings.
Note: H.R. 1627, approved by the President on September 15, 1961, is Public Law 87-251 (75 Stat. 520).
John F. Kennedy, Statement by the President Upon Signing Bill for the Relief of the Princess Anne County School Board, Virginia. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/235625