[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 51 (Monday, December 27, 1999)]
[Pages 2637-2639]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Signing the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement 
Act of 1999

December 17, 1999

    Today I am pleased to sign into law H.R. 1180, the ``Ticket to Work 
and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999.'' This landmark legislation 
will remove barriers that have placed many individuals with disabilities 
in the untenable position of choosing between health care coverage and 
work. It also improves and expands vocational rehabilitation and 
employment service options for this talented, but as yet not fully 
tapped, workforce.
    This new law represents one of the most important legislative 
advances for people with disabilities since the enactment of the 
Americans with Disabilities Act. I have urged its passage for 2 years 
and was proud to include full funding for it in my FY 2000 Budget. The 
enactment of this law well illustrates what we can accomplish when we 
work together on a bipartisan basis to expand employment opportunities 
and affordable health-care options.
    The Act will ensure that individuals with disabilities have a 
greater opportunity to participate in the workforce and in the American 
Dream. It offers new ways for the Federal Government to partner with the 
States and the private sector to help people with disabilities to work 
and to keep their health care coverage. Most significantly, H.R. 1180:
<bullet>    Expands States' ability to provide a Medicaid ``buy-in'' to 
            individuals with disabilities who return to work.
<bullet>    Creates a new Medicaid demonstration to assess the 
            effectiveness of providing Medicaid coverage to people whose 
            condition has not yet deteriorated enough to prevent work, 
            but who need health care to prevent or forestall that level 
            of deterioration. This provision will allow States to help 
            those individuals with diseases such as muscular dystrophy, 
            Parkinson's Disease, diabetes, and HIV.
<bullet>    Lengthens from 4 years to 8-\1/2\ years the period for which 
            Social Security disability beneficiaries who return to work 
            can continue to receive reduced-cost Medicare coverage.
<bullet>    Provides grants to States to design and administer 
            infrastructures to provide services that support working 
            individuals with disabilities.
<bullet>    Provides Social Security disability beneficiaries a choice 
            of providers for employment-related services.
<bullet>    Authorizes the Social Security Administration to test new 
            and innovative ways to enable individuals with disabilities 
            to return to work and make economic independence a reality.
<bullet>    Enables individuals with disabilities to reestablish 
            eligibility for Social Security disability benefits on an 
            expedited basis if their attempts to return to work prove to 
            be unsuccessful. These individuals will be able to request 
            reinstatement of benefits without having to file a new 
            disability benefits application--thereby reducing the risk 
            of returning to work.
    These provisions give people who want to work a chance to do so by 
ensuring access

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to health care insurance and modernizing the employment services system 
for people with disabilities. Together, these provisions affirm the 
basic principle manifested in the Americans with Disabilities Act: that 
all Americans should have the same opportunity to be productive 
citizens.
    The Act also contains several provisions to extend expiring tax 
laws. These provisions continue incentives for the advancement of 
several national priorities and reaffirm our commitment to help American 
families and businesses. Most importantly, the bill extends the research 
and experimentation tax credit for 5 years, encouraging companies to 
undertake new multi-year research activities. This crucial tax credit 
will help innovative American companies build on my Administration's 
impressive economic achievements and will lead to new products and 
technologies to improve people's lives. In addition, H.R. 1180 extends 
for 3 years the provision that allows America's middle-income taxpayers 
full use of important personal tax credits--such as the child credit, 
the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning credits, and the child and 
dependent care credits--without limitation by the alternative minimum 
tax. This also will allow tens of millions more taxpayers to forgo 
performing complex calculations.
    The Act extends a provision that will help improve school facilities 
in low-income communities by providing no-interest loans to school 
districts in needy areas for rehabilitation and repairs, educational 
equipment, curriculum development, and teacher training.
    The Act will provide more economic opportunity to Puerto Rico by 
extending application of the research and experimentation tax credit to 
such activity undertaken in Puerto Rico, as I proposed. In response to 
another of my proposals, H.R. 1180 also will provide a greater transfer 
of excise tax revenue on rum not made in the States to Puerto Rico and 
the Virgin Islands for 2-\1/2\ years to provide aid that the islands 
urgently need.
    Furthermore, H.R. 1180 extends through 2001 critical tax provisions 
to:
<bullet>    Encourage employers to pay for their workers' continuing 
            education.
<bullet>    Help disadvantaged people, including welfare recipients, 
            find jobs.
<bullet>    Encourage businesses to clean up polluted ``brownfields''.
<bullet>    Stimulate low- and no-emission production of power.
<bullet>    Assist first-time home buyers in purchasing a home in the 
            District of Columbia
    It is unfortunate, however, that the revenue losses resulting from 
these provisions were not fully offset.
    I am pleased that H.R. 1180 will do much to improve the lives of 
people with disabilities and will extend important tax provisions. I am 
deeply disappointed, however, that the bill includes a provision for a 
special allowance adjustment for student loans. This provision will 
expose the Federal Government, rather than lenders, to substantial 
financial risk due to the difference between Treasury and commercial 
paper borrowing rates, and will provide unnecessary and costly new 
benefits to the student loan industry with no benefit whatsoever to 
students.
    My Administration has a deep and long-standing commitment to promote 
and increase the independence of individuals with disabilities. I would 
like to thank each individual who has been involved in the challenging 
work of developing this landmark legislation. Special thanks should be 
given to the congressional leaders, who have contributed so much to the 
passage of H.R. 1180, particularly Senators Jeffords, Kennedy, Roth, and 
Moynihan, as well as Representatives Dingell, Archer, Rangel, Stark,
Waxman, Thomas, Matsui, Bliley, Shaw,
Bilirakis, Nancy Johnson, Cardin, Sherrod Brown, and Lazio. I also want 
to acknowledge the efforts of Alexis Herman, Secretary of Labor; Kenneth 
S. Apfel, Commissioner of Social Security; and Donna Shalala, Secretary 
of Health and Human Services; as well as Tony Coelho and other members 
of my Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities. These 
individuals, as well as many others throughout my Administration, worked 
tirelessly to bring this legislation forward.
    Many individuals with disabilities want to work and become 
independent, and many can work if they receive the critical support they 
need. For too long, the fear of losing health and cash benefits and the 
inability to

[[Page 2639]]

obtain rehabilitation and employment services has prevented such 
individuals' work efforts. As a Nation, we are best served when all our 
citizens have the opportunity to contribute their talents, energy, and 
ideas to the workplace. I am pleased to sign into law today this 
important step to empower more Americans with disabilities to take their 
rightful places in our Nation's workforce.
                                            William J. Clinton
The White House,
December 17, 1999.

Note: H.R. 1180, approved December 17, was assigned Public Law No. 106-
170. This item was not received in time for publication in the 
appropriate issue.