[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 70 (Wednesday, June 3, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H4047]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE USER FEE ACT OF 1998

  (Mr. SOLOMON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks and include extraneous 
material.)
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, tonight I do the unimaginable. On behalf of 
the President of the United States of America, I am introducing the 
``User Fee Act of 1998.'' This is a 96-page bill and it contains over 
$25 billion of increases in what are technically called ``user fees,'' 
but what they should more accurately be called is tax increases, 
because that is what a user fee is, Mr. Speaker.
  These 36 tax increase were included in President Clinton's budget for 
fiscal year 1999 that is not going to be brought on this floor by the 
Democratic minority. The President, of course, included these 36 tax 
increases in an attempt to provide his administration with more 
taxpayer dollars to spend on big government spending schemes.
  These user fees increase the cost on families through increased 
entrance fees for national parks, on farmers through increased safety 
and inspection fees, and on older Americans through increased Food and 
Drug Administration costs, Medicare costs, and Social Security fees, if 
you would believe that, Mr. Speaker.
  Passing costs from the government to taxpayers, no matter we call it, 
are tax increases on the American people. American families would have 
less money in their pockets if President Clinton's initiative were made 
law. I introduce this bill today not as a show of support for the 
President, but as a crystal clear opportunity for the House to show who 
is taking more of the taxpayers' dollars.

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            Account Title                                         1999      2000      2001      2002      2003  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                           Discretionary Fee Proposals                                          
Offsetting Collections Deposited in                                                                             
 Appropriations Accounts:                                                                                       
Department of Agriculture Animal and   President..............       -10       -10       -10       -10       -10
 Plant Health Inspection Service Fees. CBO....................        -7       -15       -15       -25       -25
Grain Inspection, Packers and          President..............       -17       -21       -21       -21       -21
 Stockyards Administration Licensing   CBO....................       -10       -21       -21       -21       -21
 Fees.                                                                                                          
Food Safety and Inspection Service,    President..............      -473      -573      -573      -573      -573
 Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products       CBO....................         0      -573      -573      -573      -573
 Inspection Fee.                                                                                                
Natural Resources Conservation         President..............       -10       -15       -15       -25       -25
 Service (NRCS) Cost-Share Fee.        CBO....................        -2        -5        -5       -10       -10
Farm Services Administration, Farm     President..............       -10       -15       -15       -25       -25
 Service Fee.                          CBO....................        -7       -15       -15       -25       -25
Department of Commerce National        President..............        -3       -11       -11       -11       -11
 Oceanic and Atmospheric                                                                                        
 Administration (NOAA), Navigational                                                                            
 Assistance Fee.                                                                                                
NOAA, Fisheries Management Fee.......  President..............       -20       -20       -20       -20       -20
                                       CBO....................       -22       -22       -22       -22       -22
Patent and Trademark Office, Patent    President..............      -182      -189      -207      -219      -228
 Fees.                                 CBO....................      -182      -197      -210      -225      -241
International Trade Administration,    President..............        -6       -12       -12       -12       -12
 Trade Promotion Fees.                 CBO....................        -6       -12       -12       -12       -12
Department of Health and Human         President..............      -128      -128      -128      -128      -128
 Services Food and Drug                CBO....................       -12      -128      -128      -128      -128
 Administration Fees.                                                                                           
Physician, Provider, and Supplier      President..............       -20       -21       -21       -22       -23
 Enrollment Registration Fees.         CBO....................                                                  
Managed Care Organization Application  President..............       -37       -38       -39       -41       -42
 and Renewal Fees.                     CBO....................                                                  
Initial Provider Certification Fees..  President..............       -10       -10       -11       -11       -12
                                       CBO....................                                                  
Provider Recertification Fees........  President..............       -52       -54       -56       -58       -61
                                       CBO....................                                                  
Paper Claims Submission Fees.........  President..............      -110      -114      -118      -122      -126
                                       CBO....................                                                  
Duplicate and Unprocessable Claims     President..............       -36       -37       -38       -39       -41
 Fees.                                 CBO....................                                                  
Department of the Interior Bureau of   President..............       -39       -40       -41       -42       -43
 Land Management, Hardrock Location    CBO....................       -39       -40       -41       -42       -43
 and Maintenance Fees.                                                                                          
Department of Labor Alien Labor        President..............         0       -40       -40       -40       -40
 Certification Fee.                    CBO....................                                                  
Department of Transportation Coast     President..............       -35      -165      -165      -165      -165
 Guard, Navigational Assistance Fee.   CBO....................         0         0         0         0         0
Surface Transportation Board Fees....  President..............       -16       -16       -16       -16       -16
                                       CBO....................        -5         0         0         0         0
Army Corps of Engineers, Wetlands      President..............        -7       -14       -14       -14       -14
 Permit Fee.                           CBO....................        -7       -14       -14       -14       -14
Federal Emergency Management           President..............       -13       -13       -13       -13       -13
 Administration, Radiological          CBO....................         0         0         0         0         0
 Emergency Preparedness Fees.                                                                                   
National Transportation Safety Board,  President..............        -6        -6        -6        -6        -6
 Aviation Accident Investigation Fee.  CBO....................                                                  
Social Security Administration,        President..............        -7        -9        -9        -9        -9
 Claimant Representative Fees.         CBO....................        -1        -9        -9        -9        -9
    Offsetting Collections Deposited                                                                            
     in Receipt Accounts:                                                                                       
Department of Transportation, Federal  President..............       -82       -82       -82       -82       -82
 Railroad Administration, Railroad     CBO....................       -83       -83       -83       -83       -83
 Safety Inspection Fees.                                                                                        
Department of Treasury, Customs        President..............       -48       -48       -48       -48       -48
 Merchandise Processing Fee.           CBO....................       -48       -48       -48       -48       -48
Environmental Protection Agency        President..............       -16       -16       -16       -16       -16
 (EPA), Pesticide Registration Fees.                                                                            
Pesticide Registration Fees EPA,       President..............        -8        -8        -8        -8        -8
 Chemical Pre-Manufacturing            CBO....................       -15       -24       -24       -24       -24
 Notification Fee.                                                                                              
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Extend  President..............      -313      -314      -322      -332      -342
 NRC Fee.                              CBO....................      -313      -314      -322      -332      -342
Social Security Administration,        President..............       -12       -17       -17       -17       -17
 Claimant Representative Fees.         CBO....................       -12       -17       -17       -17       -17
                                             Mandatory Fee Proposals                                            
    Offsetting Collections Deposited                                                                            
     in Appropriations Accounts:                                                                                
Department of Health and Human         President..............      -395      -395      -395      -395      -395
 Services, Medicare Cost-Based         CBO....................      -265      -274      -283      -293      -305
 Provider Audit Fees.                                                                                           
Bank Examination Fees................  President..............       -89       -94       -97      -101      -106
                                       CBO....................       -48      -100      -109      -118      -128
    Offsetting Collections Deposited                                                                            
     in Receipt Accounts:                                                                                       
Department of Health and Human         President..............      -127      -679      -814     -1025     -1234
 Services, Medicare Premiums.          CBO....................                                                  
Department of the Interior, Interior/  President..............         0       -86       -88       -88       -90
 USDA, Entrance and Recreation Fees.   CBO....................                 -94       -97       -99      -102
Department of the Interior, National   President..............        -3        -6       -12       -18       -25
 Park Service, Concession Fees.        CBO....................        -3        -3        -3        -3        -3
    Collections Deposited in                                                                                    
     Governmental Receipt Accounts:                                                                             
Federal Aviation Administration,       President..............         0     -1700     -1700     -1700      -850
 Proposed User Fees.                   CBO....................         0     -1700     -1700     -1700      -850
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