[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 82 (Thursday, June 12, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S5605]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ABRAHAM (for himself, Mr. Faircloth, Mr. Sessions, Mr. 
        Hutchinson, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Coats, Mr. Ashcroft, and Mr. 
        Coverdell):
  S. 891. A bill to require Federal agencies to assess the impact of 
policies and regulations on families, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Governmental Affairs.


                THE FAMILY IMPACT STATEMENT ACT OF 1997

  Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, on April 21 President Clinton issued an 
Executive order purporting to defend America's children from 
environmental health and safety risks. At the very end of this order 
was a simple, but cryptic statement. That statement was, ``Executive 
Order 12606 of September 2, 1987 is revoked.''
  With that simple statement, Mr. President, without consulting this 
body or so much as naming the order revoked, President Clinton struck 
an unnecessary and uncalled for blow against American families and 
children.
  Executive Order 12606 of September 2, 1987, signed by President 
Reagan, was one of the most important policy statements of the last 25 
years.
  As stated in its preamble, that Executive order was intended ``to 
ensure that the autonomy and rights of the family are considered in the 
formulation and implementation of policies by Executive departments and 
agencies.''
  That Executive order, which President Clinton so blithely, almost 
mutely discarded, required our Federal bureaucracy for the first time 
to consider their actions' effects on the families of this nation.
  More than any Government program, America's children are protected, 
nurtured and given the means they need to lead good lives by their 
families. No national village can replace the constant care and 
attention of parents.
  By allowing Executive agencies to ignore the effects of their 
policies on families, President Clinton promises more harm to children 
than any Executive order he signs could possibly cure.
  Because of President Reagan's Executive order, it was the official 
policy of this country that our bureaucrats must think about families 
as they formulate and apply rules and regulations.
  Do we seriously believe, Mr. President, that the American family no 
longer needs protection?
  Do we seriously believe that Federal rules, regulations, and programs 
no longer have serious effects on our families?
  Do we seriously believe that bureaucrats here in Washington will just 
naturally craft everything they do so as to serve the interests of our 
families?
  I do not think so, Mr. President. In fact I am convinced that now 
more than ever our families need our protection. I am convinced that we 
must ensure that those who work for the Federal Government stop and 
think about how what they are doing effects our families.
  That is why, along with Senators Faircloth, Sessions, Tim Hutchinson, 
DeWine, Coats, and Ashcroft, I am introducing the Family Impact 
Statement Act of 1997. This legislation will reinstate our national 
policy requiring that Federal bureaucrats consider the effects of their 
actions on our families.
  Specifically, and mirroring the Executive order recently revoked by 
the President, the Abraham-Faircloth Family Impact Statement Act would 
require that executive departments assess measures that may have 
significant impact on family formation, maintenance and general well-
being in light of the following questions:
  1. Does this action by Government strengthen or erode the stability 
of the family and, particularly, the marital bond?

  2. does this action strengthen or erode the authority and rights of 
parents in the education, nurture, and supervision of their children?
  3. does this action help the family perform its functions, or does it 
substitute governmental activity for that function?
  4. does this action by Government increase or decrease family 
earnings? Do the proposed benefits of this action justify the impact on 
the family budget?
  5. can this activity be carried out by a lower level of Government or 
by the family itself?
  6. what message, intended or otherwise, does this program send to the 
public concerning the status of the family?
  7. what message does it send to young people concerning the 
relationship between their behavior, their personal responsibility, and 
the norms of our society?
  Again, mirroring the Executive order President Clinton recently 
revoked, Abraham-Faircloth would require that the head of the 
department or agency involved in any policy significantly effecting 
family well-being certify in writing that such measures has been 
assessed in light of these criteria. The department or agency head also 
must provide an explanation of how such measures will enhance family 
well-being.
  The Office of Management and Budget will then, to the extent 
permitted by law, ensure that the policies of the executive departments 
and agencies are applied in light of these criteria.
  In addition, Mr. President, this legislation will require that the 
White House Office of Policy Development assess existing and proposed 
policies and regulations that impact family well-being in light of the 
same criteria. That office will then provide evaluations on those 
measures to the Office of Management and Budget, and advise the 
President on policy and regulatory actions that may be taken to 
strengthen the institutions of marriage and the family in America.
  Mr. President, this legislation will restore a crucial protection for 
the fundamental institution on which our society is based. By requiring 
that our departments and agencies consider the impact of their actions 
on our families it will protect those families from intrusive policies 
that undermine them, their children's lives, and our social fabric.
  I urge my colleagues to join with me to make bureaucrats consider our 
families' well-being before they act. I urge them to support Abraham-
Faircloth.
  I yield the floor.
                                 ______