    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
    [April 8, 2000]
    [Pages 662-663]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 662]]

    The President's Radio Address
    April 8, 2000

        Good morning. In less than a week, Members of Congress will adjourn
    for spring recess, leaving behind a great deal of unfinished business.
    Today I'd like to speak with you about some of the pressing priorities
    that are languishing in Congress and the real consequence of this delay
    on people's lives.
        First, we've waited far too long for a strong and enforceable
    Patients' Bill of Rights. Last October the House passed the bipartisan
    Norwood-Dingell Patients' Bill of Rights by an overwhelming margin. I
    would sign that bill tomorrow. Unfortunately, the Senate passed a much
    weaker bill. Now, both bills have been gathering dust on a shelf for
    more than 5 months.
        Delay may be easy for the congressional majority, but it's proving
    very hard on our families. According to a new analysis of physician
    reports, every single day the Congress sits on this legislation,
    thousands of patients experience serious declines in health as a direct
    result of bottom-line-driven managed care decisions.
        At this time of great change in our health care system, patients
    need a guarantee that they can see a specialist and go to the nearest
    emergency room; a guarantee that their doctor can discuss the best
    treatment options, not just the cheapest; a guarantee to an internal and
    external appeals process; and a guarantee that they can hold a health
    plan accountable if it causes them great harm. They need a strong
    Patients' Bill of Rights, and they need it now.
        Second, we've waited too long for an increase in the minimum wage.
    Last year we introduced legislation to give a well-deserved raise to 10
    million working families by lifting the minimum wage by a dollar an
    hour. A dollar an hour--it may not sound like much, but in the 7 months
    that have gone by since our legislation would have gone into effect,
    families have lost more than $600 in income. That's enough to pay for 2
    months of groceries or almost a semester of community college. For these
    hard-pressed families, the cost of congressional delay can be measured
    not just by the day but literally by the hour.
        Third, we've waited too long for Congress to fund our supplemental
    budget, budget priorities like helping the victims of Hurricane Floyd,
    aiding families struggling with high energy prices, supporting our
    troops and our peacekeeping efforts to build stability in Kosovo,
    providing debt relief to the poorest nations, and combating drug
    traffickers in Colombia. Now, delays in this funding could jeopardize
    military readiness, undermine international support for Colombia's
    democracy and its antidrug efforts that directly protect our people
    here, and leave many hurricane victims in temporary shelter for the
    second straight winter.
        Finally, we've waited too long for commonsense gun safety
    legislation. Last year, with a tie-breaking vote by Vice President
    Gore, the Senate passed a bill that would
    require child safety locks for every handgun sold, ban the importation
    of large ammunition clips, and close the loophole that allows criminals
    to buy firearms at gun shows. Unfortunately, the House failed to pass
    similar measures. And even more disturbing, 9 months now have gone by,
    and the Congress has taken almost no action to complete a bill for me to
    sign.
        Every day we wait, 89 Americans--12 of them young people--are killed
    by gunfire. Of course, no legislation can prevent every act of gun
    violence or every gun accident. But when there are simple safety
    measures we can take, measures that will save lives, there is absolutely
    no excuse for sitting on our hands. Two days ago Senators from both
    parties voted to push congressional negotiators to produce a final gun
    bill by April the 20th, the anniversary of Columbine. That's the very
    least we can do.
        With only a week to go before recess, I ask the congressional
    leaders to think about these daily tallies: 12 children dying from
    gunfire; thousands of managed care patients suffering unnecessary
    declines in health; millions of working families missing out on a long-
    overdue raise. These are just some of the everyday costs of failing to
    do the people's business. So let's get back on track. Let's work
    together to protect the health, the safety, the welfare of the American
    people. Let's safeguard their financial security, and in so doing, our
    national security. And let's do it now.
        Thanks for listening.

    [[Page 663]]

     Note: The address was recorded at 3:00 p.m. on April 7 in the Oval
    Office at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on April 8. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    April 8 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast.