[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.