Statement by the President Upon Signing the Federal Employees Compensation Act Amendments of 1966.

FIFTY YEARS AGO a landmark piece of social legislation was enacted: the Federal Employees Compensation Act of 1916. Today I am happy to sign the Federal Employees Compensation Act Amendments of 1966, which modernize and strengthen this historic measure.

These amendments, the most significant improvement in the law in nearly 20 years, will provide expanded benefits for Federal employees who are disabled in the line of duty.

This law represents important progress in our national effort to provide working Americans and their families better protection against the economic hardship which accompanies work injuries and fatalities.

I am proud that the Federal Government is taking this forward step on behalf of its own employees, but the great majority of the Nation's workers are not covered by this law. They are covered instead by 50 State workmen's compensation laws. Many of these were modeled upon the original Federal Employees Compensation Act-but they have fallen behind. As I sign this act, I strongly urge each State, in the light of these new Federal workmen's amendments, to examine its compensation law and act to assure that workers disabled by work injuries are properly compensated for the loss of their earnings.

We want not only the best system to compensate our Federal employees injured on duty--we want an adequate system for all American workers.