    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
    [October 27, 1997]
    [Pages 1437-1438]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Signing the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and
    Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998
    October 27, 1997

        I have signed into law today H.R. 2158, the ``Departments of
    Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent
    Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998.''
        This Act will fund vital environmental, veterans, housing, community
    development, space, and science programs. Specifically, it provides
    funding for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban
    Development, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National
    Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation,
    and several other agencies.
        The Act funds a number of my Administration's high priorities,
    including the Corporation for National and Community Service and the
    Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) fund. National
    Service gives young people the opportunity to obtain funded for a
    college education while serving the country in areas of great need, such
    as the environment, public safety, and human services. While the
    Congress did not fully meet my request for America Reads within National
    Service, there are funds to give additional tutors the opportunity to
    help young students in their community. Funding for CDFI will increase
    the flow of capital to distressed neighborhoods and their currently
    underserved low-income residents, and provide financing for neighborhood
    redevelopment and revitalization efforts.
        The Act provides $7.4 billion for the EPA, which will enable the
    agency to adequately enforce our environmental laws. I am pleased that
    H.R. 2158 fully funds my request for the Drinking Water State Revolving
    Fund, adequately funds the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, and
    provides an advance appropriation for Superfund, the EPA's major program
    that ensures the continued cleanup of hazardous waste sites. I am,
    however, concerned about reductions to the 1998 requested levels for
    Superfund, the U.S. Climate Change Action Plan, the Montreal Protocol
    efforts to prevent ozone layer depletion, and EPA's right-to-know
    programs. These reductions impede our ability to clean up 900 Superfund
    sites by the year 2000, hamper our ability to meet our international
    commitments on climate change and ozone depletion,

    [[Page 1438]]

    and deprive our citizens of needed environmental information.
        The Act provides $24 billion in funding for the Department of
    Housing and Urban Development (HUD), including full funding for my
    request to renew expiring Section 8 contracts, thus assuring
    continuation of HUD rental subsidies for low-income tenants in privately
    owned housing. Funding is also provided for programs such as the HOME
    Investment Partnership program, Community Development Block Grants, and
    HOPE VI for severely distressed public housing. I am pleased that the
    bill continues to support States and cities through these vital economic
    development programs. The Act also funds my request for Brownfields
    redevelopment, an initiative to redevelop abandoned sites and return
    them to productive uses and thereby help communities revitalize these
    areas. The Act also fully funds my requests for Homeless Assistance
    Grants and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS, and provides
    funding, although not my full request, for antidiscrimination efforts,
    including the Fair Housing Initiatives program.
        The Act contains a major initiative to reduce the costs of Section 8
    contract renewals for FHA-insured properties. The Act recognizes the
    gravity of the situation and provides HUD with many new tools. At the
    same time, I am concerned that provisions within the Act could limit
    FHA's ability to design efficient partnerships, increasing costs to the
    FHA insurance fund, and could restrict opportunities for assisted
    tenants to use portable vouchers to seek out the housing that best meets
    their particular needs. I am also concerned that there is no direct and
    explicit solution for the tax consequences that threaten the
    restructuring process.
        The Act fully funds my request of $17.6 billion for the medical care
    of this Nation's veterans and contains my requested user fee proposal,
    funded at $0.6 billion. This new revenue source gives the Department of
    Veterans Affairs the incentive to improve its collections while ensuring
    more control over its future viability as a health-care provider.
        Unfortunately, the Act also eliminates funding for the U.S. Office
    of Consumer Affairs, which has served Presidents of both parties over
    three decades. I will work to ensure that a consumer voice is maintained
    from existing agency resources.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,

    October 27, 1997.

    Note: H.R. 2158, approved October 27, was assigned Public Law No. 105-
    65.