[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

[[Page 1730]]

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-


[[Page 1731]]

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

[[Page 1732]]

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.