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 Originally coordinated by the Office of Economic Opportunity, many sections of the EOA have been rescinded.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 transferred within the federal government. The EOA was passed in August, 1964, after having been drafted the previous February by task force director Sargent Shriver, who had connections to the Kennedy administration. After passage of the EOA, Shrive became the director of the Office of Economic Opportunity and served until 1969. EOA programs included VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America), a personal priority of LBJ; the Job Corps; the Neighborhood Youth Corps; Head Start; Adult Basic Education; Family Planning; Community Health Centers; Congregate Meal Preparation; Economic …show more content…
CAAs varied greatly, with some being nonprofit groups, some being city agencies, and some community-controlled groups. By 1968 there were over 1,600 CAA's covering two-thirds of the nation's counties. The EOA was notable in administrative terms because Congress bypassed state and local governments to fund community groups directly. However, economic opportunity offices were also created at the level of state government as a means of involving the governors in Great Society poverty programs. Governors could veto inappropriate grants subject to override by OEO director Sargent Shriver, though the governors lacked the right of prior approval. It was not uncommon for southern governors to veto OEO grants only to be overridden by Shriver. In fact, Shriver overrode almost all