[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 24 (Monday, June 21, 1999)]
[Pages 1113-1114]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the Proposed ``Work Incentives Improvement Act''

June 15, 1999

    That was a speech of a man who is not running for re-election. 
[Laughter] Since I'm not either, I can only hope to do as well. 
[Laughter]
    I would like to point out something, since we are here in the LBJ 
Room, named for President Johnson, a room in which he worked for many 
good causes as Senate majority leader. Thirty-five years ago, he said, 
``I am convinced that it is morally right, that it is socially just, 
that it is economically sensible, that it is administratively feasible 
to open the door of employment opportunity to Americans with 
disabilities.''
    Now, our country has done a lot on that road in the last 35 years, 
especially beginning with the Americans with Disabilities Act. In 1997 
we dramatically strengthened the IDEA Act, and I'm very proud to have 
been a part of that with the people who are here. But the full promise 
of the Americans with Disabilities Act will never be realized until we 
pass this legislation.
    I am profoundly indebted to all these Senators who are here, 
Senators Lott and Moynihan and, of course, to Senators Jeffords and 
Kennedy, but let me--I know most of you here understand this--but let me 
just give you one, specific example. I think it's important to humanize 
this.
    I had a town meeting about this issue in New Hampshire on February 
the 18th. And there was a man there who had been very badly injured in a 
skiing accident and was paralyzed, basically, from the chest down. And 
because of the special opportunity he had, he actually was able to keep 
his health care and work. His health insurance--his health care costs 
were $40,000 a year, just to maintain him. But he worked very 
productively and very successfully for about 75 percent of that. That 
was his salary. Now, if he were not working, he'd still get the $40,000 
in health care, but he wouldn't be working. He'd be much less happy, 
much less fulfilled. He wouldn't be paying income taxes to the Federal 
Government. He wouldn't be paying the other revenues through which we 
fund Medicare and Social Security, including, interestingly enough, the 
money from Social Security that goes to the disabled.
    This is a crazy system that we have allowed to develop because you 
lose Government health insurance if you go to work and you make a 
certain amount of money. That's what these fine people are trying to do. 
And I thought what Senator Kennedy said was great. I'd like it if it 
passed by Independence Day, but I'd like it, for sure, if we could get 
it up to the White House and have a signing ceremony by the 26th of 
July, which is the ninth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities 
Act.
    But I would like to ask all the members of the press that are here 
to make sure that our fellow Americans understand the practical impact. 
There are thousands of these stories. But with all the requirements of 
the Americans with Disabilities Act, you will never get the tens of 
thousands of people

[[Page 1114]]

who could come into the work force--maybe hundreds of thousands that 
aren't there--without this bill. This is a profoundly important piece of 
legislation.
    And I would like to make one last economic argument. There's a lot 
of discussion now about how our economy can continue to grow even more 
with unemployment as low as it is without inflation. The only way to do 
that is to find new markets and new workers. And as nearly as I can 
tell, there are only two or three options. You can sell more American 
products overseas, or you can put people to work in high unemployment 
areas in America, in the urban and rural areas, or you can reach the 
unreached population of Americans who are dying to go to work, which are 
the remaining people on welfare who want to work and an even larger 
number--much larger number--the American disability community, fully 
capable of working in thousands and thousands and thousands of jobs--
now, with them closed, because of the health care barrier.
    We need to get this story out. The Senate is going to pass this 
bill. The House will have it, and we'll have a great celebration on July 
the Fourth and again on July the 26th.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 4:50 p.m. in the Lyndon Baines Johnson Room 
at the Capitol. In his remarks, he referred to the IDEA, Individuals 
with the Disabilities Education Act.