[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 136 (Friday, September 27, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H11400-H11401]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 THE DEMOCRATS' CHANGE OF HEART ABOUT THE NEED FOR A BALANCED BUDGET, 
  AND CELEBRATING THE 2-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE CONTRACT WITH AMERICA

  (Mr. SMITH of Michigan asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, as we draw this 104th Congress to 
a close, I think it is appropriate to remember where we were 2 years 
ago, before Republicans became a majority in this House. The Democrats 
were not talking about a balanced budget. In fact, the President's 
balanced budget at that time, 2 years ago, had a $200 billion deficit 
every year into the foreseeable future.
  In 1995, the new Republican majority came in and insisted that 
Government do what Americans have to do in their personal family 
budgets--that being--balance the Federal budget. The Democrats, the 
President, did their focus groups, they took the polls. They decided, 
Americans do want a balanced budget. They think it is reasonable. Two 
years ago, nobody on the liberal side of the aisle was talking about a 
balanced budget, and now everybody is talking about it. That is 
progress.
  The liberals and big Government advocates try to belittle this 
Republican Congress, and criticize the Contract With America. We are 
going to celebrate our 2-year anniversary of the Contract With America 
today. Let us just remember that most of the brag items of 
accomplishments that President Clinton mentioned in his acceptance 
speech were passed by the Republican-controlled 104th Congress.

  Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record the Contract With America items 
signed into law in the last 2 years.
  The material referred to is as follows:

       The Contract With America has significantly contributed in 
     making the 104th Republican-led Congress one of the most 
     productiver ever. Of 75 Contract legislative provisions 
     considered in the House, 49 (65 percent) have been enacted by 
     statute or rules change, 20 (27 percent) have been vetoed by 
     President Clinton, and 6 (8 percent) await Senate action. The 
     bottom line: two-thirds of the Contract is now law.


                   contract measures signed into law

       Congressional Accountability Act--Applies civil rights and 
     job protection laws to Congress. (H.R. 1)
       Congressional Reforms--Host of ``opening day'' reforms 
     approved as part of House rules, including a one-third cut in 
     committee staff (saving $45 million), term limits for the 
     Speaker and committee chairmen, a ban on

[[Page H11401]]

     committee proxy voting, a three-fifths vote requirement for 
     tax increases, public and media access to committee meetings, 
     and authorization for an audit of the House books.
       Line-Item Veto--Gives the President line-item veto 
     authority beginning January 1, 1997 to eliminate wasteful 
     discretionary spending, targeted tax benefits, and new or 
     increased entitlement programs. (H.R. 3136)
       Mandatory Victim Restitution--Requires federal judges to 
     order convicted criminals to pay restitution to their crime 
     victims. (S. 735)
       Effective Death Penalty Enforcement--Places reasonable 
     limits on appeals filed by violent criminals seeking to 
     overturn their convictions. (S. 735)
       Criminal Alien Deportation--Improves current laws to make 
     it easier for the government to deport criminal aliens. (S. 
     735)
       Truth-In-Sentencing State Prison Grants--More than $400 
     million provided in FY '96 to help states build prisons, 
     provided violent criminals serve at least 85 percent of their 
     sentences. (H.R. 3019)
       Local Government Law Enforcement Block Grants--$503 million 
     provided in FY '96 to give local law enforcement officials 
     greater flexibility in fighting violent crime in their 
     communities. (H.R. 3019)
       Sexual Crimes Against Children Prevention Act--Instructs 
     the U.S. Sentencing Commission to increase the recommended 
     penalties for making or trafficking in child pornography. 
     (H.R. 1240)
       National Security Revitalization--The FY '96 defense 
     appropriations bill reversed Clinton's ``hollow'' military by 
     restoring $7 billion in Clinton defense cuts and providing an 
     additional $600 million for anti-missile defenses. (H.R. 
     2126)
       Unfunded Mandates Reform--Ends intrusive federal mandates 
     that require local governments (i.e., taxpayers) to pick up 
     the costs. (H.R. 5)
       Paperwork Reduction Act--Reduces federal reporting 
     requirements by 40 percent over six years. (H.R. 830)
       Regulatory Flexibility Act Amendments--Provides judicial 
     review of the Regulatory Flexibility Act and allows expedited 
     congressional review of new regulations costing more than 
     $100 million. (H.R. 3136)
       Small Business Tax Relief--Increases equipment expensing 
     from $17,500 to $25,000 and clarifies the tax treatment of 
     home office/product-sample storage costs. (H.R. 3448)
       Securities Litigation Reform Act--Prevents class-action 
     lawyers from abusing the rules to extort settlements from 
     innocent companies whose predictions of corporate performance 
     are not fulfilled. (H.R. 1058)
       Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act--Requires 
     welfare recipients to work within 2 years or lose benefits, 
     limits lifetime cash welfare to 5 years, gives states tools 
     for reducing out-of-wedlock births, reforms the fast-growing 
     food stamp program, and ends most welfare to non-citizens. 
     (H.R. 3734)
       Drug Abusers Collecting Welfare--Ends SSI payments to drug 
     and alcohol abusers. (H.R. 3136)
       Adoption Tax Credit--Allows up to a $5,000 tax credit to 
     offset adoption expenses for families with adjusted gross 
     incomes of less than $75,000 and prohibits adoption agencies 
     from making placements based on race. (H.R. 3448)
       Spousal IRAs--Increases from $250 to $2,000 the amount non-
     working spouses can contribute to IRAs. (H.R. 3448)
       Social Security Earnings Limit--Phases in an increase of 
     the earnings limit to $30,000 in 2002 for seniors who choose 
     to work between ages 65 to 69. (H.R. 3136)
       Long-Term Care Tax Incentives--Encourages more people to 
     buy long-term care insurance and allows chronically or 
     terminally ill individuals to receive life insurance benefits 
     before death without a tax penalty. (H.R. 3103)
       Housing for Older Person Act--Protects senior citizen 
     communities from discrimination lawsuits by defining in law 
     ``senior-only'' housing complexes. (H.R. 660)


               Contract Measures Vetoed by the President

       A Balanced Budget by 2002--The balanced budget amendment 
     included in the Contract required a balanced budget in 2002. 
     Falling short by one vote in the Senate, Congress approved 
     the Balanced Budget Act to balance the budget in 7 years. 
     (Vetoed 12/6/95)
       Family Tax Cuts--$500 per-child tax cut, marriage penalty 
     relief, $1,000 eldercare deduction, and American Dream 
     Savings Accounts. (Vetoed 12/6/95)
       Economic Growth Tax Cuts--Reductions in capital gains and 
     inheritance taxes, among others. (Vetoed 12/6/95)
       Lawsuit Abuse Reform--Reforms product liability laws to 
     lower litigation costs to employers and end abuses by trial 
     lawyers. (Vetoed 5/2/96)
       Ballistic Missile Defense--Protects America's cities from 
     accidental or terrorist nuclear attack (Vetoed 12/28/95)
       U.N. Command of U.S. Troops--Prohibits the president from 
     placing U.S. troops under foreign command. (Vetoed 12/28/95)

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