[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
[November 19, 1997]
[Pages 1614-1615]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on Signing District of Columbia Appropriations Legislation
November 19, 1997

    Today I am pleased to have signed into law H.R. 2607, the ``District 
of Columbia Appropriations Act, 1998.''
    I am particularly pleased that the Act provides sufficient funding 
to implement the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government 
Improvement Act of 1997 (Revitalization Act), which includes the main 
elements of the plan for the District of Columbia that I proposed in my 
1998 budget in February. That plan, which was the most comprehensive 
plan that any Administration had ever proposed for the District, was 
designed to achieve two goals: to revitalize Washington, D.C., as the 
Nation's capital and to improve prospects for ``home rule'' to succeed. 
The Congress adopted the Revitalization Act as part of the historic 
balanced budget agreement that I signed into law last summer. Now, with 
this 1998 appropriations bill, the

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Congress has provided the funds to implement it.
    The Act also drops several of the objectionable micro-management and 
other provisions in the original House-passed version of the bill such 
as Federal funding for private school vouchers, the requirement to 
reopen Pennsylvania Avenue, the limitation on public assistance 
payments, the prohibition on Treasury borrowing authority for the 
District, and restrictions on the District's authority to make 
improvements in its financial management system.
    The Act continues to contain abortion language that would prohibit 
the use of Federal and District funds to pay for abortions except in 
cases in which the life of the mother is endangered or in situations 
involving rape or incest. The continued prohibition on the use of local 
funds is an unwarranted intrusion into the affairs of the District.
    In addition, the Act makes important changes to last year's 
immigration bill by offering more generous treatment to Central 
Americans than was available under that bill. These changes make good on 
the pledge I made during my trip to Central America last spring. 
Nevertheless, I have several concerns. First, I am troubled by the 
differences in relief offered to similarly situated persons. I believe, 
however, that these differences can be minimized in the implementation 
process. I therefore am asking the Attorney General to consider the 
ameliorative purposes of this legislation and the unique history and 
circumstances of the people covered by it in giving effect to its 
provisions. Second, I believe that similar relief should be made 
available to Haitians and will seek a legislative solution for this 
group. Finally, I ask the Congress to revisit its decision to continue 
to apply some of the harsher rules under last year's immigration bill to 
other persons with pending immigration cases who are not covered by H.R. 
2607. I commend to the public my statement of November 14 for a further 
discussion of these issues.

                                                      William J. Clinton

The White House,

November 19, 1997.

Note: H.R. 2607, approved November 19, was assigned Public Law No. 105-
100.