    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
    [June 10, 1993]
    [Pages 833-834]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Signing the National Cooperative Production Amendments of
    1993
    June 10, 1993

        I want to thank Senator Leahy, Senator Biden, Congressman Brooks,
    and Congressman Fish for being here today and for their leadership in
    helping to enact into law the bill I am about to sign. I want to thank
    the Attorney General for her presence here and for the work that the
    Justice Department did on this bill, H.R. 1313, called the National
    Cooperative Production Amendments of 1993.
        This bill was the embodiment of the concept that the Vice President,
    who has just come in--come on up. Good to see you. He's magical.

    [[Page 834]]

    I uttered his name, and he appeared. [Laughter] This bill is the
    embodiment of the concept that the Vice President and I strongly
    espoused during our campaign last year. It will allow American
    companies, large and small, to pool their resources to compete and win
    in the international marketplace.
        Our Nation leads the world in basic research. We also have to be
    second to none in moving new technologies from the laboratory to the
    marketplace. We have to unleash the creativeness and the inventive
    prowess of both corporate giants and start-up enterprises in order to
    spur economic growth and new jobs.
        The cooperative arrangements envisioned by this legislation will
    become increasingly necessary as the costs and skills required to
    develop and manufacture new products exceed the resources of any single
    company. These alliances will also help our businesses reduce the time
    required to bring new products to market, which frequently determines
    who wins and who loses in today's competitive marketplace. Successful
    companies, in turn, will create high-wage, high-skill jobs that will
    help to revitalize our economy.
        By clarifying and eliminating misapprehensions about antitrust risk,
    this legislation will allow joint ventures that can increase efficiency,
    facilitate entry into markets, and create new productive capacity that
    otherwise would simply not be achieved.
        I'm confident this legislation will benefit both the consumers and
    the workers in the United States by strengthening our industrial base
    while maintaining a sound antitrust oversight to prevent improper
    collusion. Now is the time to strip away outdated impediments to
    economic growth and to our potential and to begin real movement in this
    last decade of the 20th century.
        I'm pleased that the committee report stresses that this legislation
    is consistent with our international obligations. Our administration
    will implement this legislation in a way that honors the commitments as
    set forth in our treaties of friendship, commerce, and navigation,
    bilateral investment treaties, and free trade agreements, and various
    organizations for economic cooperation and development.
        Again, I want to commend Chairman Brooks, Senator Leahy, Senator
    Biden, Congressman Fish, and all the other Members of the Congress who
    worked so hard to make this bill a reality and the leadership of both
    the House and the Senate. This is an example of how you can have a real
    bipartisan coalition to make America work again, to help our business
    and our working people to move forward in the global economy. And I am
    very excited about it.
        And I know that the Vice President joins me in thanking the
    congressional sponsors for their strong leadership. And I want to thank
    all the people here around me who helped to make the bill a reality,
    members of the congressional staffs and of the high-tech community.

    Note: The President spoke at 5:15 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. H.R. 1313, approved June 10, was assigned Public Law No. 103-42.
    A tape was not available for verification of the content of these
    remarks.