    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [September 30, 1996]
    [Pages 1729-1732]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Signing the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 1997
    September 30, 1996

        I have signed into law H.R. 3610, the fiscal year 1997 omnibus
    appropriations and immigration reform bill.
        This bill is good for America, and I am pleased that my
    Administration could fashion it with the Congress on a bipartisan basis.
    It moves us further down the road toward our goal of a balanced budget
    while protecting, not violating, the values we share as Americans--
    opportunity, responsibility, and community.
        Specifically, the legislation restores needed funds for education
    and training, the environment, science and technology, and law
    enforcement; fully funds my anti-drug and counter-terrorism initiatives;
    extends the Brady Bill so that those who commit domestic violence cannot
    buy handguns; provides needed resources to respond to fires in the
    western part of the Nation and to the devastation brought by Hurricanes
    Fran and Hortense; and includes landmark immigration reform legislation
    that cracks down on illegal immigration without punishing legal
    immigrants.
        The bill restores substantial sums for education and training,
    furthering my agenda of life-long education to help Americans acquire
    the

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    skills they need to get good jobs in the new global economy.
        It provides the funds through which Head Start can serve an
    additional 50,000 disadvantaged young children; fulfills my request for
    the Goals 2000 education reform program, enabling States to more quickly
    raise their academic standards and implement innovative reform;
    increases funding for the Safe and Drug-Free Schools program, helping
    States reduce violence and drug abuse in schools; provides most of my
    request for the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund to help States
    leverage technology funds; fulfills my request for Title 1, education
    for the disadvantaged; and provides the funds to enable well over a
    half-million young people to participate in the Summer Jobs program.
        For college students, I am pleased that the bill fulfills my request
    for the largest Pell Grant college scholarship awards in history and
    expands the number of middle- and low-income students who receive aid by
    126,000--to 3.8 million. I am also pleased that the bill fully funds my
    Direct Lending program, enabling more students to take advantage of
    cheaper and more efficient loans.
        For the environment, the bill provides funds to support the
    Environmental Protection Agency's early implementation of two major new
    environmental laws that I signed this summer--the Safe Drinking Water
    Act, and the Pesticide and Food Safety Law. In addition, the bill
    provides additional funds for energy conservation and to help finish the
    cleanup of Boston Harbor and help prevent beach closures.
        At the same time, the bill does not contain any of the riders that
    would have affected management of the Tongass National Forest in Alaska,
    national Native American tribal rights, the Interior Department's
    management of subsistence fishing in Alaska, long-term management of the
    Elwha Dam in Washington State, and the issuance of emergency-efficiency
    standards for appliances. I am, however, disappointed the Congress did
    not adopt my proposal to repeal the 1995 salvage timber rider and
    restore the application of environmental laws to salvage logging on
    Federal lands.
        For research and technology, the bill promotes economic growth by
    continuing needed Federal support for advanced technology. It restores
    funding for the Commerce Department's Advanced Technology Program,
    providing resources for new grants to support innovative technology
    companies across the Nation.
        It also provides a sizeable increase for the National Institutes of
    Health, which will enable NIH to expand its critical research into new
    ways to treat breast cancer, AIDS, and other diseases. I am also pleased
    that the bill provides nearly $1 billion for Ryan White AIDS treatment
    grants, including funds to help States purchase a new class of AIDS
    drugs called ``protease inhibitors'' and other life-extending
    medications. And the Congress also fully funded my request for the
    Department of Housing and Urban Development's program that provides
    housing assistance for people with AIDS.
        For law enforcement, the bill provides $1.4 billion to ensure that
    my program to put 100,000 more police on the streets of America's
    communities by the year 2000 proceeds on schedule; with this bill, we
    will have provided funding for 64,000 of the 100,000 that I called for
    at the start of my Administration. The bill also increases funds for
    Justice Department law enforcement programs, for the FBI's crime-
    fighting efforts, and for new Federal prisons. As I had urged, the bill
    also extends the Brady Bill to ensure that those who commit domestic
    violence cannot purchase guns. Finally, I am pleased that the Congress
    provided a modest increase for the Legal Services Corporation, which
    ensures that those who lack the means still have access to our legal
    system.
        I am also pleased that the bill provides a $1.4 billion increase in
    funding for anti-drug programs. It doubles funding for Drug Courts,
    increases funds for drug interdiction efforts by the Defense,
    Transportation, and Treasury Departments, and provides the resources to
    expand the Drug Enforcement Administration's domestic efforts along the
    Southwest border and elsewhere. The bill also includes strong language
    about drug testing that my Administration had proposed, requiring that
    localities have drug-testing programs in place for their prisoners and
    parolees in order to qualify for State and local prison grants. And it
    includes funding for the drug testing of Federal, State, and local
    arrestees.
        For counterterrorism, the bill funds my request for over $1.1
    billion to fight terrorism and to improve aviation security and safety.
    It enables the Justice and Treasury Departments to better investigate
    and prosecute terrorist acts, and it provides funds to implement the
    rec-

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    ommendations of Vice President Gore's Commission on Aviation Safety and
    Security and the Federal Aviation Administration's recent 90-day safety
    review. These funds will enable us to hire 300 more aviation security
    personnel, deploy new explosive detection teams, and buy high-technology
    bomb detection equipment to screen luggage. The bill also gives my
    Administration the authority to study the use of taggants in black and
    smokeless powder; taggant technology holds the promise of allowing the
    detection and identification of explosives material.
        I hereby designate as an emergency requirement, as the Congress has
    already done, the $122.6 million in fiscal 1996 funds and the $230.68
    million in fiscal 1997 funds for the Defense Department for
    antiterrorism, counterterrorism, and security enhancement programs in
    this Act, pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D)(I) of the Balanced Budget and
    Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
        This bill also funds the Nation's defense program for another year;
    it fully funds my defense antiterrorism and counter-narcotics efforts as
    well as the Cooperative Threat Reduction program, and at my insistence
    it provides a substantial amount of the funding for my dual-use
    technology program. But it also provides about $9 billion more than I
    proposed for defense, including a substantial amount for weapons that
    are not even in the Defense Department's future plans and were not
    requested by the service chiefs. This bill is part of a plan by the
    majority in the Congress that adds funds for investments now and reduces
    them in the future. I continue to believe that my long-range plan is
    more rational. It provides sufficient funds now while increasing them at
    the turn of the century when new technologies will become available.
        I am pleased that the Congress has provided the minimum acceptable
    levels for certain key international affairs programs, such as the U.S.
    contribution to the International Development Association and the Korean
    Peninsula Energy Development Organization and for international
    peacekeeping operations and arrears. I also commend the Congress for
    providing at least a modest increase in funding international family
    planning programs and for dropping misguided Mexico City restrictions,
    and for funding bilateral economic assistance without rescinding prior-
    year appropriations. In addition, the Congress has facilitated the
    Middle East peace process by authorizing U.S. participation in the
    Middle East Development Bank. Nevertheless, I must note that the overall
    funding level for international affairs programs is well below what we
    need to assure that we can achieve our foreign policy objectives.
        This bill, however, does more than fund major portions of the
    Government for the next fiscal year. It also includes landmark
    immigration reform legislation that builds on our progress of the last 3
    years. It strengthens the rule of law by cracking down on illegal
    immigration at the border, in the workplace, and in the criminal justice
    system--without punishing those living in the United States legally.
        Specifically, the bill requires the sponsors of legal immigrants to
    take added responsibility for their well-being. And it does not include
    the so-called Gallegly amendment, which I strongly opposed and which
    would have allowed States to refuse to educate the children of illegal
    immigrants. At my insistence the bill does not include the proposed
    onerous provisions against legal immigrants, which would have gone
    beyond the welfare reform law.
        I am pleased that the Congress provided 7 additional months of food
    assistance for needy immigrants, including benefits for many elderly and
    children. This step will provide some help to individuals and States in
    preparing for the dramatic restriction of access to benefits that legal
    immigrants will face under the welfare reform bill.
        I am, however, extremely concerned about a provision in this bill
    that could lead to the Federal Government waiving the Endangered Species
    Act and the National Environmental Policy Act in order to expeditiously
    construct physical barriers and roads on the U.S. border. I know the
    Attorney General shares my commitment to those important environmental
    laws and will make every effort, in consultation with environmental
    agencies, to implement the immigration law in compliance with those
    environmental laws. I am also concerned about a provision that imposes a
    new ``intent requirement'' in unfair immigration-related employment
    cases that could place hardships on some U.S. citizens and permanent
    residents. I have asked the Attorney General to take steps to alleviate
    any potential discrimination that this provision causes against U.S.
    citizens and authorized workers--particularly Hispanics and Asian-
    Americans who, by their appearance or accent, may appear to be

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    foreign. Finally, I will seek to correct provisions in this bill that
    are inconsistent with international principles of refugee protection,
    including the imposition of rigid deadlines for asylum applications.
        The bill also makes important changes in the Nation's banking laws.
    It assures the continued soundness of the bank and thrift deposit
    insurance system, and it includes significant regulatory relief for
    financial institutions. At my insistence, the bill does not erode the
    protection of consumers and communities.
        I commend Senators Baucus and Bingaman for raising the awareness of
    the issue of the proper accounting of highway trust fund receipts. In
    next year's reauthorization of the Intermodal Surface Transportation and
    Efficiency Act, my Administration will rely on a baseline that treats
    all States fairly and equitably.
        The bill includes a Government-wide program to enable agencies to
    offer buyouts, through December 31, 1997, of up to $25,000 to employees
    eligible for early or regular retirement. Many of these workers stay on
    for years after they can retire, so buyouts will serve as an incentive
    for them to leave. Buyouts are an important tool to help Federal
    managers downsize their agencies as we continue to move toward a
    balanced budget--without relying solely on reductions-in-force (RIFs).
        I am disappointed that one of my priorities--a ban on physician
    ``gag rules''--was not included. Several States have passed similar
    legislation to ensure that doctors have the freedom to inform their
    patients of the full range of medical treatment options, and I am
    disappointed that the Congress was not able to reach agreement on this
    measure.
        Nevertheless, this bill is good for America. As I have said, it
    moves us down the path toward a balanced budget while protecting our
    values. It provides the needed resources to fight domestic and
    international terrorism. And it cracks down on illegal immigration while
    protecting legal immigrants.
        I am pleased to sign it.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,

    September 30, 1996.

    Note: H.R. 3610, approved September 30, was assigned Public Law No. 104-
    208. This statement was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    October 1.