    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
    [June 14, 2000]
    [Pages 1146-1147]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on House of Representatives Action on Labor, Health and Human
    Services, and Education Appropriations Legislation
    June 14, 2000

        Today the House of Representatives narrowly passed on a partisan
    vote the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and
    related agencies appropriations bill. This legislation fails to address
    critical needs of the American people and shortchanges our efforts to
    help our students achieve higher standards in the classroom.
        The House bill invests too little in our schools and demands too
    little from them. It fails to strengthen accountability and turn around
    failing schools, reduce class size, provide funds for emergency repairs
    and renovating aging schools, sufficiently expand after-school
    opportunities, help prepare low income students for college through GEAR
    UP and programs to improve teacher quality, and help bridge the digital
    divide. It underfunds child care and fails to adequately invest in Head
    Start. This bill also cuts funding for public health priorities,
    including mental health and substance abuse services, family planning,
    health care access for the uninsured, nursing home quality, family care-
    giver support, and infectious diseases.
        In addition, the bill makes deep cuts in worker training programs
    and cuts programs that ensure safe and healthy workplaces, enforce
    domestic labor laws, and help address child labor abuses at home and
    abroad. Regrettably, the bill also includes language prohibiting the
    Department of Labor from finalizing its standard to protect the Nation's
    workers from ergonomic injuries.

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        A bill that fails to provide key resources for education, child
    care, worker training, and other priorities is unacceptable. If it were
    presented to me in its current form, I would veto it. I continue to hope
    my administration can work with Congress on a bipartisan basis to
    develop a bill that strengthens our country's education system,
    adequately funds public health priorities, addresses the needs of our
    Nation's workers, and provides for other important national priorities.