    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [December 17, 1999]
    [Pages 2308-2310]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 2308]]

    Remarks on Signing the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement
    Act of 1999
    December 17, 1999

        Thank you. Senator Kennedy, Senator
    Jeffords, we thank you for your leadership
    and your remarks today. And Senator Roth, we thank you very much. We know this couldn't have
    happened without you. And Senator Moynihan, Representative Lazio, thank
    you, sir. And Representative Waxman and
    Representative Brown who are here and
    Representative Dingell who isn't here, I
    want to thank all of you for your leadership in the House. Give them all
    a hand. [Applause]
        I also want to thank the members of the administration who were
    particularly active in supporting this bill: Secretary Herman, the cochair of my task force on the employment of
    adults with disabilities; Secretary Shalala; Secretary Summers; Social
    Security Commissioner Apfel. I'd like to
    thank, in the White House, my Chief of Staff, John Podesta; Chris Jennings; and Jeanne Lambrew,
    who had a lot to do with this bill, as all of you know.
        I want to thank Senator Dole, especially, and
    through him all the citizens who came forward and made it possible for
    this to be a genuinely American bill. I want to welcome the members of
    the Roosevelt family who are here today, particularly Jim and Ann Roosevelt, my longtime
    friends. And now Jim is a member of this administration, something I'm
    very proud of.
        I want to thank you, Justin Dart, and
    the members of the disability community who are here, for this and every
    other issue that we've worked on for over 7 years now. And I want to
    acknowledge--James Sullivan really spoke for
    three others who are here--Donna McNamee, Paul
    Marshall, and Wesley Vinner. I thank them for being up here, because every one of
    them represents a different, slightly different story of someone who
    will benefit from this bill, and I thank them for sharing their stories
    with us.
        I think it's kind of interesting, don't you, that Mr.
    Sullivan from New Hampshire and Senator
    Jeffords from Vermont are the only two
    people up here without coats on? [Laughter] This is a warm December day
    in New England. [Laughter]
        Senator Jeffords, you made that remark
    that President Roosevelt never carried Vermont. You know, my family
    communes with the Roosevelts on a regular basis. [Laughter] You may
    remember that. Eleanor told Hillary
    last night, ``You're forgiven; all is forgiven now.'' [Laughter] ``This
    wipes the slate clean, this bill does.'' [Laughter]
        John Sweeney, we thank you for being
    here. And we thank the labor community for their support of this
    legislation, as well.
        I think it is wonderfully fitting that this is the last piece of
    legislation a President of the United States will sign in the entire
    20th century. We do it at this magnificent memorial to Franklin
    Roosevelt, who from his wheelchair lifted our Nation out of depression
    and led the free world to victory in World War II, who laid the building
    blocks for world peace and security that we enjoy today, and
    accomplished it all as an American with a disability.
        In his time, as we all know--and we've had a lot of debates about
    that in this memorial context--Roosevelt felt he needed to keep his
    wheelchair from public view. Most people believed being disabled meant
    being unable, though he proved them very wrong every day. Today, in the
    spirit of his leadership and the wake of his accomplishments, we move
    further along on our Nation's marvelous journey of equal opportunity for
    all.
        This is a good time for our country. We're ending the century on a
    high note, with 20 million new jobs since 1993, the lowest unemployment
    rate in 30 years, the lowest welfare rolls in 32 years, the lowest
    poverty rate in 20 years, in February, the longest economic expansion in
    our entire history. But in spite of this good economic news, we know
    that three out of four people with significant disabilities are not
    working. They're ready to work, they're willing to work, and they are
    very able to work. But as we have heard, they face the daunting barrier
    of losing their Medicare or Medicaid coverage if they get a job.
        For many Americans with disabilities, medical bills, as you just
    heard from our previous speaker, may cost thousands more than what is
    typically covered by an employer's private health insurance. For some,
    including some on this

    [[Page 2309]]

    stage, those medical bills, because of the attendant care services, may
    add up to more than any reasonable salary a person with disabilities
    could ever hope to earn.
        And yet, quite beyond the human cost of denying people the dignity
    of work, this defies common sense and economic logic. It doesn't make
    sense for people to be denied the dignity of work and for the taxpayers
    to pay the bills, whether they're working or not, and therefore, losing
    the benefit of the productivity, the contributions to our economy and
    society, and as you just heard, the tax receipts of working Americans.
        Secretary Summers is here. You
    wouldn't believe how much time we spend arguing over how much longer
    this economic expansion can go on. How can we keep it going without
    inflation? How many expansions in the past have been broken because
    inflation finally burst through and had to be taken down, and that led
    to a recession?
        Well, one way we can keep this economic expansion going is to take
    it to people and places who aren't part of it. That's what our new
    markets initiative to poor areas of America is all about. And make no
    mistake about it, that will be one big objective of this bill. This is
    an inflation-free way to keep America's economy growing. You are helping
    every single American, not just Americans with disabilities; every
    single American will be helped by this legislation today.
        But of course, even more compelling than the economic argument is
    the human one. Today we say with a simple but clear voice, no one should
    have to choose between taking a job and having health care.
        This legislation reorients our policy by saying health care ought to
    be a tool to getting a job, earning a salary, paying taxes, and living
    up to one's God-given potential. You don't have to worry about losing
    Medicare or Medicaid anymore.
        This landmark measure will also make a real difference to people who
    are facing the early onset of diseases like AIDS, muscular dystrophy,
    Parkinson's, or diabetes. Right now, they may be able to work, but their
    work conditions are not deemed severe enough to qualify for Medicare. In
    other words, they may only become eligible for health care when they're
    no longer able to work. Now the problem is they're uninsurable because
    of the condition they have, even though they're not disabled. So they're
    also in a different kind of double-bind.
        With this bill--thanks again to bipartisan support in Congress and
    to the fact that the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and
    Means Committee found a way to fund it--we are going to have a $250
    million demonstration program that will allow these Americans to buy
    into the Medicare program, so they can stay on the job and don't have to
    give it up to get health care when they're perfectly capable of working.
    This is also a very important feature of this bill.
        And finally, both Senator Kennedy and
    Senator Jeffords mentioned the Ticket to
    Work legislation that's a part of this bill. This creates long-overdue
    reforms of the job-training program, so people with disabilities can
    make their own choices about vocational rehabilitation services, the
    ones that are best for them.
        Taken together, clearly, this is the most significant advancement
    for people with disabilities since the Americans with Disabilities Act
    almost a decade ago. It continues our administration's efforts to
    replace barriers to opportunity with policies based on inclusion,
    empowerment, and independence.
        That's why we reformed welfare, to reward the dignity of work, why
    we doubled the earned-income tax credit for low-income working people,
    particularly those with children, raised the minimum wage, enacted the
    family and medical leave law. This bill takes us another huge step in
    the right direction of both liberating and rewarding the creative
    energies of all Americans. But our task isn't done.
        I often think it's ironic that, when we have these bill signings,
    the Presidents get to make the speeches and sign the bills, but the
    Members of Congress must be sitting out there thinking they did all the
    work. [Laughter] And in truth, they did the lion's share, and I was
    proud to support them.
        But now it's our turn. We have to make it work in the lives of real
    people. I have instructed Secretary Shalala, Secretary Herman, and
    Commissioner Apfel to take immediate action
    to implement this legislation, to team up with the States advocates,
    businesses, and others who are crucial to make this bill work.
        Now, all of you here who had a hand in this know that the way it's
    set up, States have a vital role to play. We want to take every
    opportunity to help every single State in America

    [[Page 2310]]

    take maximum advantage of the new options provided under this
    legislation. We want to encourage employees to reach out and tap the
    talented pool of potential workers that are now available. We want to
    work with all of you to ensure that we effectively get the word out to
    people who have disabilities so they actually know about the benefits of
    this legislation.
        This is about more than jobs or paychecks--I'll say it again--it's
    about more than keeping our recovery going. It's fundamentally about the
    dignity of each human being, about the realization of a quality of
    opportunity, about recognizing that work is at the heart of the American
    dream.
        In the end, the counsel of Franklin Roosevelt that's etched in the
    walls of this memorial guides us still. He said, ``No country, however
    rich, can afford the waste of its human resources.'' That is ever more
    true as we cross the threshold into the new millennium.
        I think Mr. Roosevelt would be proud of all of you today. I think we
    have honored his life and his legacy. In the new century, America will
    realize even more of it's promise because we have unleashed the promise
    of more Americans.
        Congratulations, and God bless you all.
        I'd like to ask the Members of Congress and the administration to
    come up for the bill signing now.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:55 a.m. at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt
    Memorial. In his remarks, he referred to James Sullivan, Hudson, NH, who
    introduced the President, Donna McNamee, Cleveland, OH, Paul Marshall,
    Wheaton, MD, and Wesley Vinner, Riverdale, MD, citizens who will benefit
    from the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act;
    Representative Sherrod Brown; former Senator Bob Dole; Justin Dart, Jr.,
    chairman and founder, Justice For All; Jeanne Lambrew, Senior Health
    Policy Analyst, National Economic Council; and John J. Sweeney,
    president, AFL-CIO. H.R. 1180, approved December 17, was assigned Public
    Law No. 106-170.