[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