    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [September 28, 1999]
    [Pages 1623-1624]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Message to the House of Representatives Returning Without Approval
    Appropriations Legislation for the District of Columbia
    September 28, 1999

    To the House of Representatives:
        I am returning herewith without my approval, H.R. 2587, the
    ``District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 2000.'' Although the bill
    provides important funding for the District of Columbia, I am vetoing
    this bill because it includes a number of highly objectionable
    provisions that are unwarranted intrusions into local citizens'
    decisions about local matters.
        I commend the Congress for developing a bill that includes requested
    funding for the District of Columbia. The bill includes essential
    funding for District Courts and Corrections and the D.C. Offender
    Supervision Agency and goes a long way toward providing requested funds
    for a new tuition assistance program for District of Columbia residents.
    I appreciate the additional funding included in the bill to promote the
    adoption of children in the District's foster care system, to support
    the Children's National Medical Center, to assist the Metropolitan
    Police Department in eliminating open-air drug trafficking in the
    District, and for drug testing and treatment, among other programs.
        However, I am disappointed that the Congress has added to the bill a
    number of highly objectionable provisions that would interfere with
    local decisions about local matters. Were it not for these provisions, I
    would sign the bill into law. Many of the Members who voted for this
    legislation represent States and localities that do not impose similar
    restrictions on their own citizens. I urge the Congress to remove the
    following provisions expeditiously to prevent the interruption of
    important funding for the District of Columbia:
        Voting Representation. H.R. 2587 would prohibit not only the
                use of Federal, but also District funds to provide
                assistance for petition drives or civil action that seek to
                obtain voting representation in the Congress for residents
                of the District of Columbia.
        Limit on Access to Representation in Special Education
                Cases. The bill would cap the award of plaintiffs'
                attorneys' fees in cases brought by parents of District
                schoolchildren against the District of Columbia Public
                Schools under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
                Act (IDEA). In the long run, this provision would likely
                limit the access of the District's poor families to quality
                legal representation, thus impairing their due process
                protections provided by the IDEA.
        Abortion. The bill would prohibit the use of not only
                Federal, but also District funds to pay for abortions except
                in those cases where the life of the mother is endangered or
                in situations involving rape or incest.
        Domestic Partners Act. The bill would prohibit the use of
                not only Federal, but also District funds to implement or
                enforce the Health Care Benefits Expansion Act of 1992.
        Needle Exchange Programs. The bill contains a ban that would
                seriously disrupt current AIDS/HIV prevention efforts by
                prohibiting the use of Federal and local funds for needle
                exchange programs. H.R. 2587 denies not only Federal, but
                also District funding to any public or private agency,
                including providers of HIV/AIDS-related services, in the
                District of Columbia that uses the public or private
                agency's own funds for needle exchange programs, undermining
                the principle of home rule in the District.

    [[Page 1624]]

        Controlled Substances. The bill would prohibit the District
                from legislating with respect to certain controlled
                substances, in a manner that all States are free to do.
        Restriction on City Council Salaries. The bill would limit
                the amount of salary that can be paid to members of the
                District of Columbia Council.
        I urge the Congress to send me a bill that maintains the important
    funding for the District provided in this bill and that eliminates these
    highly objectionable provisions as well as other provisions that
    undermine the ability of residents of the District of Columbia to make
    decisions about local matters.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,

    September 28, 1999.