    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [October 7, 1999]
    [Page 1712]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Senate Action on Proposed Education Appropriations
    October 7, 1999

        Today the Senate passed a spending bill that woefully shortchanges
    America's children. The Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and
    Education appropriation bill fails to make vital investments in our
    Nation's children. It undermines the commitment we made last year to
    hire quality teachers and reduce class size in the early grades. It
    underfunds after-school programs and such important efforts as the GEAR
    UP mentoring program.
        If this bill were to come to me in its current form, I would veto
    it. I have already sent Congress a budget for the programs in this bill
    that provides for essential investments and is fully paid for. I urge
    Congress again to work on a bipartisan basis to develop legislation that
    truly strengthens public education and other key national priorities.
        This bill is a catalog of missed opportunities and misguided
    priorities. I am particularly disappointed that the Senate defeated a
    commonsense measure to make schools accountable for results. The
    Bingaman-Reed-Kerry amendment would have set aside funds for States to
    turn around failing schools. By rejecting it, the Senate lost a chance
    to make accountability more than just a slogan. The Senate also rejected
    amendments to increase the number of qualified teachers in high-need
    districts and to help States improve the quality of their teaching
    forces.
        The Senate properly rejected two wrong-headed amendments that would
    have hurt workers. One would have barred implementation of the
    ergonomics rule so key to safeguarding worker health. The other would
    have barred enforcement of the Davis-Bacon law in natural disaster
    areas, a law which assures workers appropriate wages.
        While the Senate did make important strides by committing to
    increase child-care funding next year, the bill underfunds many other
    efforts, including public health priorities in preventive and mental
    health, programs that give millions of Americans better access to health
    care and critical social services for vulnerable families. The bill also
    does not provide aid to families caring for elderly or ill relatives
    through the family caregiver initiative. Even worse, in expressing
    support for an across-the-board cut in all discretionary programs, the
    Senate has shown its unwillingness to address America's needs in a
    responsible and comprehensive way.