[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 11, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1559-E1560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             BIPARTISANSHIP

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 11, 1996

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert my Washington 
report for Wednesday, August 14, 1996, into the Congressional Record.

             Legislative Wrapup: A Case for Bi-Partisanship

       Only a few months ago the 104th Congress was being widely 
     criticized as one of the least productive sessions in modern 
     history: a Congress long on promise but short on results, a 
     Congress that was very busy, spending long hours in session, 
     but achieving very little. Its sessions were as contentious 
     and uncompromising as any in memory, epitomized by the bitter 
     fight over the budget that closed much of the government for 
     a total of 27 days and set a new low for harsh debate. This 
     Congress was on the brink of failure, blocked by the 
     ideological fervor of the majority that could not be 
     translated into laws.
       But that changed in the last week of the congressional 
     session before the August recess. In a flurry of legislative 
     activity; Congress, with my strong support, approved several 
     important bills, including: landmark welfare legislation, a 
     health insurance bill, a catch-up minimum wage bill, a 
     rewrite of the safe drinking water laws, and a package of 
     incentives for small business. This Congress can now boast a 
     stronger record of achievement after a very rocky and 
     unproductive start.


                             what happened

       What brought the majority and minority together after 
     months of gridlock was a shared fear on the part of the 
     Members of returning to their constituents this fall empty 
     handed and the willingness to compromise on extreme 
     positions. Ideology quickly gave way to pragmatism, and 
     Republicans and Democrats struck deals with each other and 
     the President to shape legislation. They decided that they 
     needed laws enacted, not just confrontational issues. The 
     difference in attitude was most striking among the House 
     leadership. The Speaker, who shunned compromise only last 
     year, is now praising the importance of compromise.
       Now there is a scramble among the parties to claim credit 
     for the recent successes. Some Members claimed it was the 
     greatest week in the history of the Congress and the most 
     significant Congress in a generation, but by any reasonable 
     measure that is overstating the record. This Congress' modest 
     accomplishments scarcely measure up to the Congresses of the 
     past which adopted the Bill of Rights, emancipated the 
     slaves, approved the Social Security Act, or oversaw two 
     world wars. But without any doubt the last week of July saw 
     the most serious legislative week in the 104th Congress. The 
     virtues of bipartisanship have been rediscovered and there 
     has been a rush of important legislation.


                           what was approved

       The bills that were passed in a burst of lawmaking do alter 
     the lives of millions of Americans. The bills impact on 
     everything from paychecks to the purity of tap water. They 
     include:
       Welfare reform.--Congress passed a major overhaul of the 
     federal welfare program by ending the federal guarantee to 
     the poor, limiting assistance to five years requiring 
     recipients to work in exchange for benefits, and giving 
     states more flexibility to administer their programs.
       Health insurance.--Congress approved a modest health 
     insurance bill which expands access to health insurance by 
     making it easier for people to get coverage when they have 
     pre-existing medical conditions, and to keep it when they 
     change or lose jobs. The measure also gradually increases the 
     deductibility of self-employed health costs from 30% to 80%.
       Minimum wage.--Congress increased the minimum wage for the 
     first time in five years, raising the hourly wage from $4.25 
     to $5.15 over a two-year period.
       Small business incentives.--The minimum wage bill also 
     includes incentives for small businesses: an increased 
     deduction for business-related equipment costs, more flexible 
     rules on subchapter S corporations, and several other 
     measures to encourage business growth.
       Environmental laws.--Congress also approved two important 
     environmental bills. It passed a rewrite of the safe drinking 
     water law which gives the Environmental Protection Agency 
     more flexibility in regulating contaminants in drinking water 
     and provides assistance to states and localities in complying 
     with the law. Congress also revised food safety laws to 
     increase protections for children while easing burdensome 
     restrictions on helpful pesticides.
       Among the other important achievements of this Congress are 
     a sweeping overhaul of the telecommunications law, the most 
     significant rewrite of federal farm programs since the Great 
     Depression, and a long-awaited measure to give the President 
     a line-item veto power.


                           general assessment

       It is important, however, not to overstate the legislative 
     success of the last week. After all, the minimum wage and the 
     health insurance bills are fairly modest and conventional 
     pieces of legislation. The minimum wage increase simply 
     compensates for some of the effects of inflation, and is not 
     really an advance. The health insurance bill makes a modest 
     improvement in the health care system by making it easier for 
     people who already have insurance to keep it if they can 
     afford it. That is a useful step, but it does not begin to 
     deal with the two great problems of health care: the rapidly 
     escalating cost of care and the fact that one-seventh of the 
     population of the country is still uninsured. The safe 
     drinking water bill was enacted because it promises a large 
     amount of federal aid to communities to improve their water 
     systems.


                               conclusion

       I think the legislative legacy of the 104th Congress has 
     for all practical purposes been written in the last few 
     weeks. In September the Congress might add to its list of 
     accomplishments as it finishes work on bills to crack down on 
     illegal immigration, take new steps to combat terrorism, and 
     reform some other programs like housing. But most of the rest 
     of the session will be dominated by work on routine 
     appropriations bills and on a few hot button social issues, 
     such as an override vote on the President's veto of a bill 
     outlawing late term abortions, a bill to make English the 
     official language of the United States, and a bill to allow 
     states to deny recognition to same-sex marriages.
       I think the Nation has been well-served as Congress has 
     moved from gridlock to a more positive phase. People have 
     been turned off by efforts to promote a revolutionary agenda, 
     to shut government down, and to fight ideological wars. I've 
     always felt the American people have a strong strain of 
     pragmatism about them and my guess is they

[[Page E1560]]

     will approve the pragmatic methods and incremental bills that 
     have been passed in recent weeks.

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