    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [October 19, 1996]
    [Pages 1867-1868]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1867]]

    The President's Radio Address
    October 19, 1996

        Good morning. Today I want to talk to you about how we can demand
    responsibility from all our young people by taking firm steps to stop
    teens from driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
        My vision is of an America where we offer opportunity to all, demand
    responsibility from all, and build a stronger community where everyone
    has a place. That's America's basic bargain. That's how we will keep our
    young people safe and give them the futures they deserve.
        We've done a lot to expand opportunity for our young people:
    reducing the cost of college loans and improving the terms for
    repayment, expanding scholarships to college, creating millions of new
    jobs. We've preserved the summer jobs program and created AmeriCorps,
    which gives young people the opportunity to serve in their communities
    and earn money for college. I want to do more.
        Our balanced budget plan can make 2 years of college after high
    school as universal as a high school diploma is today by giving people a
    deduction on their taxes, dollar for dollar, for the cost of the typical
    community college tuition. We offer a deduction of up to $10,000 a year
    for any college tuition and permit families to save in an IRA and then
    withdraw from it, tax-free, to pay for education for their children.
        But we must demand the responsibility of our young people as well.
    Our responsibility is to teach them right from wrong and then to expect
    them to act accordingly. So in our welfare reform efforts, we've
    required teen mothers to live at home and stay in school or lose their
    welfare benefits. We went to court to support those communities that
    have decided to require drug testing for high school athletes. We've
    imposed a zero tolerance policy for guns in schools. We're taking on
    teen smoking and trying to stop tobacco companies from advertising and
    marketing cigarettes to our young people. We've encouraged communities
    to enforce their truancy laws and to adopt new programs like school
    uniform policies and to impose community curfews. We supported character
    education programs and drug-free school programs for children in our
    schools all across America. These are all ways for parents and teachers
    and law enforcement people to set rules, maintain order and discipline,
    and make schools places of learning, not violence and destruction.
        Today we're taking another step. Too many teens pose a threat to
    themselves and others by drinking and driving. Just last year, 2,200
    young people between the ages of 15 and 20 died in alcohol-related car
    crashes. Thanks especially to the leadership of groups like Mothers
    Against Drunk Driving and Students Against Drunk Driving, America has
    made real progress in reducing teen drunk driving over the last decade.
        But there's more to do. We have pushed for a policy of zero
    tolerance for teen drinking and driving. If you're under 21 and you
    drink, you can't drive, period. Last year, when fewer than half the
    States had zero tolerance laws, I called on Congress to enact
    legislation making it the law of the land. Congress acted. Since then,
    13 more States have adopted these strict rules.
        Now we're taking final action to demand responsibility from teens in
    all 50 States. Today I am pleased to announce that we're issuing a new
    rule. Every State must pass a law making it illegal for anyone under 21
    to drive with alcohol in their blood. If they're caught, their driver's
    licenses must be suspended. Under the new law passed by Congress, States
    that do not put this into effect will lose some of their Federal highway
    funds.
        Now we should take the next step to increase responsibility among
    teenagers. Drug use is down all across America, but unfortunately, it is
    still rising among young people. That's why I have fought to expand the
    safe and drug-free schools program, to get more people out there, like
    D.A.R.E. officers, telling our children that drugs are wrong and drugs
    can kill you. That's why we're requiring parolees to pass a drug test or
    go back to jail. If they want to stay out of jail, they must stay off
    drugs.
        I believe we should use the privilege of a driver's license to
    demand responsible behavior by young people when it comes to drugs, too.
    We're already saying to teens, if you drink, you aren't allowed to
    drive. Now we should say that teens should pass a drug test as a
    condition

    [[Page 1868]]

    of getting a driver's license. Our message should be simple: no drugs or
    no driver's license.
        Today I am directing General Barry McCaffrey, the Director of our
    drug office, and Secretary Federico Pena, the Secretary of
    Transportation, to report back to me within 90 days with a plan for how
    to do this, including legislation if appropriate, and other ways to
    fight the problem of teen drug use and driving.
        Let me make one thing clear: Even though teen drug use is up, all
    the evidence is that 90 percent of our children are drug-free. They are
    doing the right thing. They are not experimenting. So we're asking them,
    the 90 percent who are drug-free, to be responsible enough to
    participate in this drug-testing program to help us identify the 10
    percent who are on the brink of getting in trouble and get them away
    from drugs before it's too late.
        Our goal must be to help parents pass on their values to their
    children, to help their children to act responsibly, to take charge of
    their lives and their futures. If we offer our children more opportunity
    and demand of them more responsibility, America's best days are ahead.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 2:52 p.m. on October 18 in the
    Roosevelt Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on October
    19.