[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 43 (Monday, October 30, 2000)]
[Pages 2637-2638]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Letter to Congressional Leaders on Commerce, Justice, and State 
Appropriations Legislation

October 26, 2000

Dear Mr. Speaker:  (Dear Mr. Leader:)

    I am writing to raise my serious concerns with the FY 2001 Commerce, 
Justice, and State appropriations bill that was filed this morning as 
part of the FY 2001 District of Columbia conference report. Although 
neither my Administration nor virtually any Member of Congress has had 
an opportunity to review this bill, it is our understanding that it 
fails to adequately address a number of high-priority issues that the 
Administration has previously brought to your attention. Therefore, I 
have no choice but to veto this bill.
    It is our understanding that this bill fails to redress several 
injustices in our immigration system as called for by the Latino and 
Immigrant Fairness Act. Those provisions would help normalize the 
immigration status of individuals and their families who have been 
living for many years in the United States, and, as such, would restore 
fairness and equity to our immigration laws. Current Republican 
proposals would not help most of the people who need relief and would 
perpetuate the current patchwork of contradictory and unfair immigration 
policies.
    In addition, it is our understanding that this bill fails to provide 
the resources needed for the Department of Justice to let justice work 
its course by pursuing tobacco litigation to address the need for 
tobacco companies to bear responsibility for the staggering costs of 
tobacco-related illnesses. Congress should not block the judicial 
process, especially in a matter that is of supreme importance to the 
public health and the public interest.
    This bill also fails to include hate crimes legislation that would 
cover crimes motivated by bias on the basis of a victim's gender, 
disability, or sexual orientation. Both the House

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and Senate have had bipartisan votes indicating their support for strong 
hate crimes legislation and it should become law this year.
    The bill fails to address in any meaningful way the real privacy 
concerns about Social Security numbers raised by the Administration. 
Regrettably, it does not include needed protections against the 
inappropriate sale and display of individual citizens' social security 
numbers. Moreover, the bill creates loopholes that seriously undermine 
the goal of the legislation to protect privacy. In addition, by not 
reauthorizing the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund, the bill fails to 
support successful Federal efforts to protect critical law enforcement 
funding and reduce violent crime.
    We also understand that a range of anti-environmental, anti-
competitive, and other damaging riders have been under consideration and 
may have been added to this bill. I urge Congress to refrain from adding 
riders that would reward special interests at the expense of the public 
interest. I also urge Congress to drop the rider that would prevent the 
Federal Communications Commission from licensing new low-power FM radio 
stations to provide for a diversity of voices in communities around the 
country. And regrettably, Congress has attached a deeply flawed 
Commerce, Justice, and State bill to an otherwise signable District of 
Columbia bill.
    I urge the Congress to complete its work by sending me acceptable 
bills. I regret that the bipartisan discussion to resolve these issues 
in this bill were abandoned. The recent passage of several other 
appropriations bills shows that when we work together and Congress puts 
progress over partisanship, we are able to deliver real results for the 
American people. It is long past time for Congress to do the same for 
the Commerce, Justice, and State bill and to produce a bill I can sign.
     Sincerely,
                                            William J. Clinton

Note: Letters were sent to J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House of 
Representatives; Richard A. Gephardt, House minority leader; Trent Lott, 
Senate majority leader; and Thomas A. Daschle, Senate minority leader. 
An original was not available for verification of the content of this 
letter.