[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 45 (Wednesday, April 16, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E674]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE BIPARTISAN LINE-ITEM VETO CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

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                          HON. JO ANN EMERSON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 16, 1997

  Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, I am joined today by my colleague from 
California, Representative Gary Condit, in proudly introducing a 
bipartisan resolution to amend the Constitution to provide the 
President of the United States with line-item veto authority.
  On April 10, the U.S. District Court ruled unconstitutional the Line 
Item Veto Act of 1996 which was a statutory version of this much needed 
authority to rein-in Federal spending. On the eve of the deadline for 
hard-working folks to file their Federal income taxes, this court's 
ruling denied American taxpayers an important protection against 
wasteful spending. It is time to put to rest the constitutional 
questions surrounding the line-item veto by passing the constitutional 
amendment we are introducing today to give the President the explicit 
authority to zero-out special interest goodies tucked away in the fine 
print of large spending bills.
  Forty-three of our Nation's governors have a line-item veto at their 
disposal, and it works. Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson used the 
line-item veto hundreds of times to save the taxpayers of Wisconsin 
close to $3 billion. In Massachusetts, Governor William Weld used the 
line-item veto to help eliminate an $850 million deficit in his first 
month in office and resolve a $1.8 billion structural deficit within 
the first 6 months of his term. While Governor of Arkansas, Bill 
Clinton repeatedly balanced his State's budget, and an important tool 
that helped him do so was the line-item veto. The evidence is clear and 
convincing that the line-item veto saves taxpayers money, and the 
Congress should answer the 14-year-old call issued by President Reagan 
to pass the line-item veto amendment.
  Mr. Speaker, we tried the legal approach and a Federal court said it 
will not work. We have yet to hear from the Supreme Court, but the 
prospects look bleak. So, here we are at the end of tax season and the 
American public is denied line-item veto protection by a Federal court. 
We must put an end to the constitutional debate by providing the 
President the explicit authority of the line-item veto. What would have 
been good for Presidents Reagan and Bush would be good for President 
Clinton and every future American President. The line-item veto 
amendment we are introducing today will guarantee the validity of Harry 
Truman's adage that ``the Buck Stops Here''--right at the President's 
desk. I urge my colleagues to adopt this most important fiscal tool to 
ensure that taxpayers never again witness the day when wasteful special 
interest spending can sneak its way into law.

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