[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 39 (Monday, October 4, 1999)]
[Pages 1856-1857]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Signing the Treasury and General Government Appropriations 
Act, 2000

September 29, 1999

    I have signed into law today H.R. 2490, the ``Treasury and General 
Government Appropriations Act, 2000,'' which provides $13.7 billion in 
discretionary budget authority for programs in the Department of the 
Treasury, the United States Postal Service, the General Services 
Administration, the Office of Personnel Management, the Executive Office 
of the President, and several smaller agencies. I commend the Congress 
for producing a bipartisan bill that allows us to continue the IRS 
reform effort and the national youth anti-drug media campaign and to 
fund important law enforcement efforts and other programs.
    The bill provides $12.4 billion for the Department of the Treasury, 
including $132 million for violent crime reduction programs. The 
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is funded at $8.2 billion. I believe that 
these funds will strengthen the IRS's ability to provide timely and 
accurate data for American taxpayers. The bill also includes $144 
million for the Earned Income Tax Credit compliance initiative and $250 
million for Year 2000 conversion requirements for IRS computer systems. 
Law enforcement bureaus within the Department of the Treasury are funded 
at $3.4 billion. I am pleased that the Congress has fully funded my 
request for the expansion of the Youth Crime Gun Interdiction 
Initiative.
    The bill provides $185 million for the Office of National Drug 
Control Policy's (ONDCP) national youth anti-drug media campaign. This 
money will enable ONDCP's national media campaign to continue its effort 
to change youth attitudes about drug use and its consequences. The 
campaign is a model public-private partnership, exposing 90 percent of 
all 9- to 17-year-olds to anti-drug messages at least four times a week.
    I am pleased that the enrolled bill requires health plans 
participating in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program that 
provide prescription drug coverage to provide prescription contraceptive 
coverage as well. I am also pleased that the enrolled bill allows 
agencies to use appropriated funds to support day care centers at 
Federal facilities. This provision should improve the affordability of 
child care for lower-income Federal employees.
    Several provisions in the Act purport to condition my authority or 
that of certain officers to use funds appropriated by the Act on the 
approval of congressional committees. My Administration will interpret 
such provisions to require notification only, since any other 
interpretation would contradict the Supreme Court's ruling in INS v. 
Chadha.
    Section 622 of the Treasury/General Government Appropriations Act 
prohibits the use of appropriations to pay the salary of any employee 
who interferes with certain communications between Federal employees and

[[Page 1857]]

Members of Congress. I do not interpret this provision to detract from 
my constitutional authority and that of my appointed heads of 
departments to supervise and control the operations and communications 
of the executive branch, including the control of privileged and 
national security information.
    I urge the Congress to complete action on the remaining FY 2000 
appropriations bills as quickly as possible and send them to me in an 
acceptable form.
                                            William J. Clinton
The White House,
September 29, 1999.

Note: H.R. 2490, approved September 29, was assigned Public Law No. 106-
58.