    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [July 1, 1996]
    [Pages i-xiii]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page i]]

    PUBLIC PAPERS OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES

                         PUBLIC PAPERS OF THE PRESIDENTS

                                     OF THE

                                  UNITED STATES

    [[Page ii]]
    [[Photographic insert]]

    photographic portfolio

    [[Page iii]]

                         PUBLIC PAPERS OF THE PRESIDENTS

                                     OF THE

                                  UNITED STATES

                             William J. Clinton

                                     1996

                               (IN TWO BOOKS)

                  BOOK II--JULY 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 1996

                     ----------------------------------------
                     United States Government Printing Office
                                  Washington : 1998

    [[Page iv]]

                                Published by the
                         Office of the Federal Register
                  National Archives and Records Administration

                                 For sale by the
                           Superintendent of Documents
                         U.S. Government Printing Office
                              Washington, DC 20402

    [[Page v]]

                                    Foreword

        In 1996, the American people came together in a spirit of new
    optimism about ourselves, our country, and our future. It was a time of
    significant legislative achievement. Most notably, I signed into law
    landmark welfare reform ending a system that had trapped millions in a
    cycle of dependency. Within days, I also signed into law an increase in
    the minimum wage, signed legislation making it possible for people to
    take their health insurance with them as they move from job to job, and
    announced unprecedented steps by the Food and Drug Administration to
    protect children from the dangers of tobacco. These and other steps, and
    the continuing success of the American economy, inspired in our people a
    renewed sense of hope and confidence that our political system could
    meet our challenges.

        Above all, this was a time when I sought to challenge the American
    people to turn toward the future. In August, at the Democratic National
    Convention in Chicago, and in talks with voters across the Nation, I
    declared our mission must be ``to build a bridge to the 21st Century.''
    I have used this metaphor for years. But in the hundreds of hand-painted
    banners at rallies, in the handmade bridges that were sent to my office
    by the dozens, in the thousands of letters we received, I could see that
    this time, this image had touched a nerve. Why? I believe ``the bridge''
    evoked both the hope and the challenge of the new century. Our people
    know that this new era, with its stunning leaps of technology, rapid
    globalization, and many social changes, offers remarkable opportunities
    for our people. But they also know they need education, skills, and
    confidence to reap the rewards of this time. As I told so many
    audiences, it must be a bridge ``wide enough and strong enough for every
    American to walk across.''

        Vice President Gore and I were humbled and deeply gratified when the
    American people chose to ratify our course and return us to office for a
    second term. The election amounted to a ringing endorsement of the
    ``vital center''--a call to both parties to set aside narrow agendas and
    work together in the national interest. That is what we pledged to do.
    And as I told the American people on election night, before the Old
    State House in Little Rock, Arkansas, ``We've got a bridge to build--and
    I'm ready if you are.''

    [[Page vii]]

                                     Preface

        This book contains the papers and speeches of the 42d President of
    the United States that were issued by the Office of the Press Secretary
    during the period July 1-December 31, 1996. The material has been
    compiled and published by the Office of the Federal Register, National
    Archives and Records Administration.

        The material is presented in chronological order, and the dates
    shown in the headings are the dates of the documents or events. In
    instances when the release date differs from the date of the document
    itself, that fact is shown in the textnote. Every effort has been made
    to ensure accuracy: Remarks are checked against a tape recording, and
    signed documents are checked against the original. Textnotes and cross
    references have been provided by the editors for purposes of
    identification or clarity. Speeches were delivered in Washington, DC,
    unless indicated. The times noted are local times. All materials that
    are printed full-text in the book have been indexed in the subject and
    name indexes, and listed in the document categories list.

        The Public Papers of the Presidents series was begun in 1957 in
    response to a recommendation of the National Historical Publications
    Commission. An extensive compilation of messages and papers of the
    Presidents covering the period 1789 to 1897 was assembled by James D.
    Richardson and published under congressional authority between 1896 and
    1899. Since then, various private compilations have been issued, but
    there was no uniform publication comparable to the Congressional Record
    or the United States Supreme Court Reports. Many Presidential papers
    could be found only in the form of mimeographed White House releases or
    as reported in the press. The Commission therefore recommended the
    establishment of an official series in which Presidential writings,
    addresses, and remarks of a public nature could be made available.

        The Commission's recommendation was incorporated in regulations of
    the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register, issued under
    section 6 of the Federal Register Act (44 U.S.C. 1506), which may be
    found in title 1, part 10, of the Code of Federal Regulations.

        A companion publication to the Public Papers series, the Weekly
    Compilation of Presidential Documents, was begun in 1965 to provide a
    broader range of Presidential materials on a more timely basis to meet
    the needs of the contemporary reader. Beginning with the administration
    of Jimmy Carter, the Public Papers series expanded its coverage to
    include additional material as printed in the Weekly Compilation. That
    coverage provides a listing of the President's daily schedule and
    meetings, when announced, and other items of general interest issued by
    the Office of the Press Secretary. Also included are lists of the
    President's nominations submitted to the Senate, materials released by
    the Office of the Press Secretary that are not printed full-text in the
    book, and proclamations, Executive orders, and other Presidential
    documents released by the Office of the Press Secretary and published in
    the Federal Register. This information appears in the appendixes at the
    end of the book.

        Volumes covering the administrations of Presidents Hoover, Truman,
    Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Bush are
    also available.

    [[Page viii]]

        The Public Papers of the Presidents publication program is under the
    direction of Frances D. McDonald, Director of the Presidential Documents
    and Legislative Division. The series is produced by the Presidential
    Documents Unit, Gwen H. Estep, Chief. The Chief Editor of this book was
    Karen Howard Ashlin, assisted by Scott Andreae, Brad Brooks, Anna
    Glover, Margaret A. Hemmig, Carolyn W. Hill, Michael Hoover, Alfred
    Jones, Rachel Rondell, and Michael J. Sullivan.

        The frontispiece and photographs used in the portfolio were supplied
    by the White House Photo Office. The typography and design of the book
    were developed by the Government Printing Office under the direction of
    Michael F. DiMario, Public Printer.

    Raymond A. Mosley
    Director of the Federal Register

    John W. Carlin
    Archivist of the United States

    [[Page ix]]

                                    Contents

    Foreword . . . v

    Preface . . . vii

    Cabinet . . . xi

    Public Papers of William J. Clinton,
    July 1-December 31, 1996 . . . 1047

    Appendix A
    Digest of Other White House Announcements . . . 2239

    Appendix B
    Nominations Submitted to the Senate . . . 2253

    Appendix C
    Checklist of White House Press Releases . . . 2257

    Appendix D
    Presidential Documents Published in the Federal
    Register . . . 2269

    Subject Index . . . a-1

    Name Index . . . b-1

    Document Categories List . . . c-1

    [[Page xi]]

                                    Cabinet

    Secretary of State                    Warren M. Christopher...

    Secretary of the Treasury             Robert E. Rubin.........

    Secretary of Defense                  William J. Perry........

    Attorney General                      Janet Reno..............

    Secretary of the Interior             Bruce Babbitt...........

    Secretary of Agriculture              Dan Glickman............

    Secretary of Commerce                 Michael Kantor..........

    Secretary of Labor                    Robert B. Reich.........

    Secretary of Health and Human         Donna E. Shalala........
    Services

    Secretary of Housing and Urban        Henry G. Cisneros.......
    Development

    Secretary of Transportation           Federico Pena...........

    Secretary of Energy                   Hazel Rollins O'Leary...

    Secretary of Education                Richard W. Riley........

    Secretary of Veterans Affairs         Jesse Brown.............

    United States Representative to       Madeleine Korbel Albright
    the United Nations

    Administrator of the Environmental    Carol M. Browner........
    Protection Agency

    United States Trade Representative    Charlene Barshefsky.....
                                          (acting)................

    [[Page xii]]

    Director of the Office of             Franklin D. Raines......
    Management and Budget                 (effective September 13)

    Chief of Staff                        Leon E. Panetta.........

    Counselor to the President            Thomas F. McLarty III...

    Chair of the Council of Economic      Joseph E. Stiglitz......
    Advisers

    Director of National Drug Control     Barry R. McCaffrey......
    Policy

    Administrator of the Small            Philip Lader............
    Business Administration

    Director of Central Intelligence      John M. Deutch..........

    Director of the Federal Emergency     James Lee Witt..........
    Management Agency

    [[Page xiii]]

                      Administration of William J. Clinton

                                      1996