[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 98 (Tuesday, July 21, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H6052]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EDUCATION SAVINGS AND SCHOOL EXCELLENCE ACT OF 1998--VETO MESSAGE FROM 
                   THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore laid before the House the following veto 
message from the President of the United States.
To the House of Representatives:
  I am returning herewith without my approval H.R. 2646, the 
``Education Savings and School Excellence Act of 1998.''
  As I have said before, we must prepare our children for the 21st 
century by providing them with the best education in the world. To help 
meet this goal, I have sent the Congress a comprehensive agenda for 
strengthening our public schools, which enroll almost 90 percent of our 
students. My plan calls for raising standards, strengthening 
accountability, and promoting charter schools and other forms of public 
school choice. It calls for reducing class size in the early grades, so 
our students get a solid foundation in the basic skills, modernizing 
our schools for the 21st century, and linking them with the Internet. 
And we must strengthen teaching and provide students who need 
additional help with tutoring, mentoring, and after-school programs. We 
must take these steps now.
  By sending me this bill, the Congress has instead chosen to weaken 
public education and shortchange our children. The modifications to the 
Education IRAs that the bill would authorize are bad education policy 
and bad tax policy. The bill would divert limited Federal resources 
away from public schools by spending more than $3 billion on tax 
benefits that would do virtually nothing for average families and would 
disproportionately benefit the most affluent families. More than 70 
percent of the benefits would flow to families in the top 20 percent of 
income distribution, and families struggling to make ends meet would 
never see a penny of the benefits. Moreover, the bill would not create 
a meaningful incentive for families to increase their savings for 
educational purposes; it would instead reward families, particularly 
those with substantial incomes, for what they already do.
  The way to improve education for all our children is to increase 
standards, accountability, and choice within the public schools. Just 
as we have an obligation to repair our Nation's roads and bridges and 
invest in the infrastructure of our transportation system, we also have 
an obligation to invest in the infrastructure needs of our public 
schools. I urge the Congress to meet that obligation and to send me 
instead the legislation I have proposed to reduce class size; improve 
the quality of teaching; modernize our schools; end social promotions; 
raise academic standards; and hold school districts, schools, and staff 
accountable for results.
                                                  William J. Clinton.  
  The White House, July 21, 1998.

                              {time}  2015

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hastings of Washington). The objections 
of the President will be spread at large upon the Journal, and the veto 
message and the bill will be printed as a House document.
  Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the veto 
message of the President, together with the accompanying bill, H.R. 
2646, be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.

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