[House Document 106-135]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]





106th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - House Document 106-135
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    VETO MESSAGE ON H.R. 2587, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA APPROPRIATIONS     

                               __________

                                MESSAGE

                                  from

                   THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              transmitting

 THE VETO OF H.R. 2587, THE ``DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                 2000''




 September 29, 1999.--Message and accompanying papers referred to the 
         Committee on Appropriations and ordered to be printed

                               --------

                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE                    
69-012                     WASHINGTON : 1999




To the House of Representatives:
    I am returning herewith without my approval, H.R. 2587, the 
``District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 2000.'' Although the 
bill provides important funding for the District of Columbia, I 
am vetoing this bill because it includes a number of highly 
objectionable provisions that are unwarranted intrusions into 
local citizens' decisions about local matters.
    I commend the Congress for developing a bill that includes 
requested funding for the District of Columbia. The bill 
includes essential funding for District Courts and Corrections 
and the D.C. Offender Supervision Agency and goes a long way 
toward providing requested funds for a new tuition assistance 
program for District of Columbia residents. I appreciate the 
additional funding included in the bill to promote the adoption 
of children in the District's foster care system, to support 
the Children's National Medical Center, to assist the 
Metropolitan Police Department in eliminating open-air drug 
trafficking in the District, and for drug testing and 
treatment, among other programs.
    However, I am disappointed that the Congress has added to 
the bill a number of highly objectionable provisions that would 
interfere with local decisions about local matters. Were it not 
for these provisions, I would sign the bill into law. Many of 
the Members who voted for this legislation represent States and 
localities that do not impose similar restrictions on their own 
citizens. I urge the Congress to remove the following 
provisions expeditiously to prevent the interruption of 
important funding for the District of Columbia:
     Voting Representation. H.R. 2587 would prohibit 
not only the use of Federal, but also District funds to provide 
assistance for petition drives or civil actions that seek to 
obtain voting representation in the Congress for residents of 
the District of Columbia.
     Limit on Access to Representation in Special 
Education Cases. The bill would cap the award of plaintiffs' 
attorneys' fees in cases brought by parents of District 
schoolchildren against the District of Columbia Public Schools 
under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). 
In the long run, this provision would likely limit the access 
of the District's poor families to quality legal 
representation, thus impairing their due process protections 
provided by the IDEA.
     Abortion. The bill would prohibit the use of not 
only Federal, but also District funds to pay for abortions 
except in those cases where the life of the mother is 
endangered or in situations involving rape or incest.
     Domestic Partners Act. The bill would prohibit the 
use of not only Federal, but also District funds to implement 
or enforce the Health Care Benefits Expansion Act of 1992.
     Needle Exchange Programs. The bill contains a ban 
that would seriously disrupt current AIDS/HIV prevention 
efforts by prohibiting the use of Federal and local funds for 
needle exchange programs. H.R. 2587 denies not only Federal, 
but also District funding to any public or private agency, 
including providers of HIV/AIDS-related services, in the 
District of Columbia that uses the public or private agency's 
own funds for needle exchange programs, undermining the 
principle of home rule in the District.
     Controlled Substances. The bill would prohibit the 
District from legislating with respect to certain controlled 
substances, in a manner that all States are free to do.
     Restriction on City Council Salaries. The bill 
would limit the amount of salary that can be paid to members of 
the District of Columbia Council.
    I urge the Congress to send me a bill that maintains the 
important funding for the District provided in this bill and 
that eliminates these highly objectionable provisions as well 
as other provisions that undermine the ability of residents of 
the District of Columbia to make decisions about local matters.

                                                William J. Clinton.
    The White House, September 28, 1999.

                                

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