[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 35 (Wednesday, March 25, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E471]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION

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                            HON. BILL ARCHER

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 25, 1998

  Mr. ARCHER. Mr. Speaker, Social Security represents the single most 
commitment to the elderly and the disabled that has been made by our 
society. It is a great testament to our nation's dedication to assuring 
a floor of security for workers and their dependents.
  Yet, due in part to the aging of baby boomers, this vital program 
will be unable to fully honor its benefit commitments as of the year 
2029. Forecasts of future Social Security insolvency, and suggested 
remedies, are being discussed more and more in the media and at kitchen 
tables all across the country. Americans want to learn more and share 
their views with their elected officials.
  We need to take a long, hard, thorough look at Social Security, and 
the sooner we do so, the sooner we will be able to make decisions that 
will not be precipitous--but that can be developed in prudent and 
constructive ways. We must take advantage of a timely and rare 
opportunity, this era of budget surpluses, to find a solution which 
treats causes, not symptoms. We must be open to fully explore 
structural changes which may be critical to the long-term stability of 
the system, as well as to our economy.
  We are obligated to protect Social Security and to stabilize it, not 
just for the near-term, but for the long run. This complex program, 
which affects the lives of so many Americans in unique and different 
ways, needs to be closely scrutinized by an independent panel of 
experts, like the one on which I served under Ronald Reagan in 1982.
  Along with Mr. Kasich--Chairman of the Committee on Budget and Mr. 
Bunning--Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social 
Security, I am introducing legislation which includes the creation of a 
Bipartisan Panel to Design Long-Range Social Security Reform.
  One thing for certain in our life is change. I used to think, growing 
up, that you ought to be able to have everything in one little niche 
and you could come back year after year and it would always be there. I 
have found that isn't the way life is. Social Security has evolved and 
adapted to change over the years since it was created in 1935. We need 
to take the time starting now, to carefully deliberate on proposed 
solutions. We must not leave any stone unturned. And no matter what we 
do, we have got to ensure that the solutions are inter-generationally 
fair. I urge my colleagues to join me as cosponsors of this 
legislation.

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