    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
    [January 1, 1999]
    [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

                                      1999

                                  (IN TWO BOOKS)

                      BOOK I--JANUARY 1 to JUNE 30, 1999

                     ----------------------------------------
                     United States Government Printing Office
                                 Washington : 2000

    [[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

        As 1999 opened, and we marked the last year of the 20th century,
    Americans took stock of our blessings. And they were many. We had the
    longest peacetime expansion in our Nation's history, nearly 18 million
    new jobs, low inflation, peace at home, and strength abroad.

        We looked ahead to the next century and sought to meet its new
    challenges. We announced grants that will bring 30,000 new teachers into
    our Nation's classrooms to prepare the leaders of tomorrow. We proposed
    the Medicare Modernization plan to secure Medicare for the next two
    decades and offer our citizens affordable prescription drug coverage.
    And I asked the Congress to commit 60 percent of our budget surplus to
    Social Security for the next 15 years to put it on a sound footing for
    our generation and for those who follow us.

        Overseas, America stood firm with those who stand for peace--and
    against the forces of aggression and hatred. Our NATO Alliance
    celebrated its 50th anniversary, admitting three new members--the Czech
    Republic, Hungary, and Poland. With our NATO allies, we defeated ethnic
    cleansing in Kosovo and kept the peace in that troubled corner of
    Europe. Together, we put the integration of the Balkans into Europe high
    on the international agenda. And our relationship with Russia stood up
    to challenges as Russia helped make and keep the peace in Kosovo.

        We helped Israelis and Palestinians reach new accords at the Wye
    River Plantation, in Maryland, revitalizing the Middle East peace
    process. Northern Ireland installed its first institutions of self-
    government, the result of free and open elections and power-sharing
    agreements.

        Here at home, we celebrated one of the most important achievements
    of our century, and looked back on our progress, when we honored Rosa
    Parks with a Congressional Gold Medal for her courageous leadership in
    the civil rights movement. Looking ahead to the future, I created the
    President's Initiative for One America to promote racial reconciliation
    in the century ahead.

        We were also faced, again and again, with the tragedies and
    difficulties of our modern age. As a Nation, we struggled to make sense
    of the horrific shootings at Columbine High School; and we pressed to
    pass commonsense gun safety legislation to make such tragedies less
    likely.

        In my State of the Union address, the last of the 20th century, I
    reminded Americans that, 100 years from now, America will end a 21st
    century shaped in so many ways by the decisions we make here and now.
    ``Let it be said of us then,'' I said, ``that we were thinking not only
    of our time, but of their time; that we reached as high as our ideals;
    that we put aside our divisions and found a new hour of healing and
    hopefulness; that we joined together to serve the land we love.''

    [[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 January 1-June 30, 1999. 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 included in the Public Papers series.

    [[Page viii]]

        The Public Papers of the Presidents publication program is under the
    direction of Frances D. McDonald, Managing Editor, Office of the Federal
    Register. The series is produced by the Presidential and Legislative
    Publications Unit, Gwen H. Estep, Chief. The Chief Editor of this book
    was Karen Howard Ashlin, assisted by Brad Brooks, Anna Glover, Margaret
    A. Hemmig, Maxine Hill, Alfred Jones, Jennifer S. Mangum, Melanie L.
    Marcec, Lisa N. Morris, Michael J. Sullivan, and Karen A. Thornton.

        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,
    January 1-June 30, 1999 . . . 1

    Appendix A
    Digest of Other White House Announcements . . . 1053

    Appendix B
    Nominations Submitted to the Senate . . . 1069

    Appendix C
    Checklist of White House Press Releases . . . 1081

    Appendix D
    Presidential Documents Published in the Federal
    Register . . . 1093

    Subject Index . . . a-1

    Name Index . . . b-1

    Document Categories List . . . c-1

    [[Page xi]]

                                    Cabinet

    Secretary of State .................  Madeleine K. Albright

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

    Secretary of Defense ...............  William S. Cohen

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

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

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

    Secretary of Commerce ..............  William M. Daley

    Secretary of Labor .................  Alexis M. Herman

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

    Secretary of Housing and Urban
    Development ........................  Andrew M. Cuomo

    Secretary of Transportation ........  Rodney E. Slater

    Secretary of Energy ................  Bill Richardson

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

    Secretary of Veterans Affairs ......  Togo D. West, Jr.

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

    United States Trade Representative    Charlene Barshefsky

    Director of the Office of
    Management and Budget ..............  Jacob J. Lew

    Chief of Staff .....................  John D. Podesta

    Chair of the Council of Economic
    Advisers ...........................  Janet Yellen

    [[Page xii]]

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

    Administrator of the Small
    Business Administration ............  Aida Alvarez

    Director of Central Intelligence ...  George J. Tenet

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

    [[Page xiii]]

                      Administration of William J. Clinton

                                      1999