PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
Eight Years of Peace, Progress
and Prosperity
The Clinton Presidency: A Historic Era of Progress and Prosperity
The Clinton Presidency:
Eight Years of Peace, Progress and Prosperity
1993
January 22 Abolished Restrictions on Medical Research and the Right
to Choose
As his first executive actions, President Clinton revoked
the Gag Rule, which prohibited abortion counseling in
clinics that receive federal funding to serve low-income
patients. He also revoked restrictions on a woman's
legal right to privately funded abortion services in
military hospitals, restrictions on the import of RU-486,
and restrictions on the award of international family
planning grants (the "Mexico City Policy"). The
President also lifted the moratorium on federal funding
for research involving fetal tissue, allowing progress on
research into treatments for Parkinson's disease,
Alzheimer's, diabetes and leukemia. (Executive
Memoranda, 1/22/93)
February 1 Helped States Take the First Steps Toward Welfare Reform
President Clinton ordered the Federal Government to make
it easier for states to receive waivers from government
regulations in order to implement innovative welfare
reform projects. Between 1993 and the signing of the
Welfare Reform bill in 1996, the Administration granted
waivers to a record 43 states. Those waivers laid the
foundation of the new welfare reform law by strengthening
work requirements, time-limiting assistance and demanding
parental responsibility. (Presidential Directives
2/1/93)
February 5 Family and Medical Leave Act
The Family & Medical Leave Act -- the first piece of
legislation the President signed into law -- has enabled
millions of workers to take up to 12 weeks unpaid leave
to care for a new baby or ailing family member without
jeopardizing their job. The previous administration
vetoed the bill twice. (PL 103-3, signed 2/5/93)
March 3 "Reinventing Government" Initiative Launched
President Clinton asked Vice President Gore to head the
National Performance Review aimed at making government
work better for less. The Vice President's Reinventing
Government Initiative has resulted in 377,000 fewer
civilian employees in the federal government -- the
lowest level since the Kennedy Administration -- and
reduced federal spending as a share of the economy from
22.2 percent in 1992 to a projected 18.5 percent in 2000,
the lowest since 1966.
April 1 Childhood Immunizations
The President launched a major childhood immunization
effort to increase the number of children who were being
immunized. Since 1993, childhood immunization rates have
reached all-time highs, with 90 percent or more of
America's toddlers receiving critical vaccines for
children by age 2. Vaccination levels are nearly the
same for preschool children of all racial and ethnic
groups, narrowing a gap estimated to be as wide as 26
percentage points a generation ago.
May 20 Motor Voter Registration Signed
The Clinton Administration made it easier for millions of
Americans to register to vote by allowing registration at
the same time they get a driver's license. The Motor
Voter law led to the registration of more than 28 million
new voters, more registered voters than the passage of
the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18
years. (PL 103-31, signed 5/20/93).
August 10 Clinton-Gore Deficit Reduction Plan Enacted
Passed without a single Republican vote, the Clinton-Gore
Administration's economic plan established fiscal
discipline by slashing the deficit in half -- the largest
deficit reduction plan in history -- while making
important investments in our economic future, including
education, health care, and science and technology
research. This legislation also extended the life of the
Medicare Trust Fund by three years. Fiscal discipline
established by the Clinton-Gore Administration has turned
the largest deficits in our country's history into the
largest surplus. (PL 103-66, signed 8/10/93)
Earned Income Tax Credit Expansion/Working Family Tax Cut
President Clinton succeeded in passing an expansion of
the Earned Income Tax Credit, giving a tax cut to 15
million of the hardest-pressed American workers. In
1999, the EITC lifted 4.1 million people out of poverty
-- nearly double the number lifted out of poverty by the
EITC in 1993. (PL 103-66, signed 8/10/93).
Student Loan Reform
The Clinton-Gore Administration created the Direct
Student Loan Program, which cut red tape and
administrative costs by eliminating subsidies and
bureaucracy in the Student Loan Program. The program has
saved taxpayers $4 billion since 1993 and allowed
interest rate reductions for students. (PL 103-66,
signed 8/10/93)
Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Communities Program
Created nine Empowerment Zones and 95 Enterprise
Communities with tax incentives and $100 million per EZ
in discretionary investment dollars to spur local
community planning and economic growth in distressed
communities. At the President's request, Congress
expanded the program in 1994, 1997, and again in 2000.
To date, the EZ program has leveraged over $10 million in
additional private investment into EZs. The EZ program
represents the most ambitious incentives program ever
offered by the federal government to promote private
sector investment in distressed areas in America.
Childhood Immunization Initiative
In 1992, less than 60 percent of two-year-olds were fully
immunized -- the third lowest rate in the Western
Hemisphere. The Clinton-Gore Economic Plan contained
investments to guarantee the health of children and
prevent the easily avoidable costs of preventable
childhood diseases. Today, the nation's overall
immunization rate for preschool children is the highest
ever recorded.
September 21 AmeriCorps Community Service Initiative Enacted
AmeriCorps allows individuals to serve communities across
the country while earning money for college or skills
training programs. Since its inception, 150,000
volunteers have participated in AmeriCorps; that means
that more people have enrolled in this Clinton
Administration initiative in its first five years than
did in the Peace Corps' first 20 years. (PL 103-82,
signed 9/21/93)
November 30 Brady Act Signed
After seven years of debate under previous
administrations, the President signed legislation
requiring a background check before the purchase of a
handgun and establishing a National Instant Check System.
Since its enactment, the Brady Law has helped to prevent
a total of more than 600,000 felons, fugitives, domestic
abusers, and other prohibited purchasers from buying
guns. Since 1992, the gun-related crime rate has declined
by 40 percent. (PL 103-159, signed 11/30/93)
December 8 NAFTA Ratified
President Clinton worked to pass bipartisan legislation
implementing the North American Free Trade Agreement,
creating the world's largest free trade zone. Since
passage of NAFTA, the U.S. manufacturing sector has
created 400,000 jobs, and exports to Canada and Mexico
support 600,000 more jobs today than in 1993. (Signed
12/8/93)
1994
March 31 Goals 2000 Education Standards Enacted
This legislation provided assistance to states to
implement high standards and challenging curricula to
help all children succeed. Today, 49 states require
students to meet tough standards in core subjects, and 48
states test reading and mathematics skills in elementary,
middle and high school to ensure students are meeting
those standards. (PL 103-227, signed 3/31/94)
May 18 Head Start Reform and Creation of Early Head Start
President Clinton and Vice President Gore advocated for
legislation increasing Head Start participation and
quality. The new bill established minimum performance
standards, strong accountability and created the Early
Head Start program for children aged 0 to 3. The
Administration has increased funding for Head Start by
more than 90 percent since 1993. Head Start and Early
Head Start will reach approximately 935,000 in 2001. (PL
103-252, signed 5/18/94)
September 13 Crime Bill Signed
Enacted the Clinton-Gore Administration's tough and smart
crime fighting strategy. The Bill contained tougher
penalties, including "three strikes and you're out"
legislation, helped states build more prisons and
increased prevention and victims rights. As a result, the
overall crime rate has dropped for 8 years in a row --
the longest continuous drop on record -- and is now at a
26 year low. (PL 103-322, signed 9/13/94)
Assault Weapons Ban
President Clinton and Vice President Gore overcame
intense opposition by the gun lobby to ban 19 of the most
dangerous assault weapons. Thanks in part to the
Clinton-Gore Administration's efforts to take these
dangerous guns off the streets, overall gun violence has
declined by 40 percent since 1992. (PL 103-322, signed
9/13/94)
100,000 Community Police Officers
The Clinton-Gore Administration succeeded in passing a
bill authorizing local governments funding to hire and
redeploy 100,000 community police officers. COPS helped
contribute to a decline that brought the overall crime
rate to the lowest level in 26 years. In 1999, crime
fell for the eighth consecutive year nationwide. (PL
103-322, signed 9/13/94)
Violence Against Women Act
The Clinton-Gore Administration fought for and signed
this bill, which contains new penalties, resources to
prosecute more domestic violence offenders, and
quadrupled funding for battered women's shelters. The
Administration also established a nationwide 24-hour
Domestic Violence Hotline. This initiative represents
the first federal effort to address domestic violence and
violence against women. Today, the number of victims of
domestic violence has fallen from 1.1 million in 1993 to
876,340 in 1998. (PL 103-322, signed 9/13/94)
September 23 Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI)
Fund Created
Meeting an early campaign commitment, the President
signed legislation creating the CDFI Fund to support both
specialized financial institutions and traditional banks
that serve lower-income communities. As of late 2000,
the CDFI Fund had certified over 400 community
development banks, community development credit unions,
housing and business loan funds and venture capital firms
as CDFIs. The CDFI Fund has provided over $427 million
in funding to institutions that provide capital and
financial services to underserved markets.
October 20 Improving America's Schools Act
This reauthorization of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary
Education Act ended the era of lower expectations for
disadvantaged children by insisting that all students be
held to the same high academic standards. The bill also
strengthened accountability for student performance and
required states to turn around low-performing schools.
October 31 California Desert Protection Act Signed
The largest land protection bill since 1980 protected
nearly 8 million acres of wilderness and created three
new national parks. (PL 103-433, signed 10/31/94)
December 8 GATT Ratified
The Clinton-Gore Administration worked with a bipartisan
majority in the Senate to pass legislation implementing
the General Agreement on Tariffs and trade (GATT). This
agreement allows American workers and businesses to
compete in a freer, fairer, and more effective global
trading system. (PL 103-465, signed 12/8/94)
1995
January 25 Called for National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
In his State of the Union address, the President
challenged Americans to join together in a national
campaign against teen pregnancy. Both teen birth rates
and teen pregnancy rates are now at the lowest level on
record.
January 31 Loans Preventing Economic Collapse in Mexico Issued
After Congress refused to act, President Clinton issued
$20 billion in emergency loans to Mexico to stabilize the
country's financial markets. Loans from the United States
and the International Monetary Fund stopped the collapse
of the peso, prevented economic crisis, and helped the
country return to solid economic growth. Mexico repaid
the loans with interest three years ahead of schedule.
U.S. taxpayers made a net gain of nearly $580 million
from the loan.
February 27 Federal Child Support Enforcement Expanded
The President issued an executive order stepping up
federal efforts to collect child support payments. The
Clinton Administration's strategy of encouraging parental
responsibility and increasing child support enforcement
efforts has doubled collections of child support from $8
billion in 1992 to $16 billion in 1999. (Exec. Order
12953)
March 8 Executive Order Preventing Permanent Striker Replacement
Issued
In order to maintain fairness and balance between workers
and management, President Clinton issued an executive
order preventing the federal government from contracting
with businesses that hire permanent replacements for
employees engaging in lawful strikes. (Exec. Order
12954)
July 12 Religious Freedom in Schools Protected
In order to protect religious expression in public
schools while preserving the separation of church and
state, President Clinton issued an executive memorandum
outlining several principles of religious expression in
schools. This directive clarified that under our
Constitution students are free to express their religious
views, pray and discuss religion at school in a
non-disruptive and non-coercive manner and that teachers
may teach about the importance of religion in art,
literature and history. At the same time, schools and
teachers may not endorse religious activity or doctrine,
nor may they coerce participation in religious activity.
(Exec. Memorandum 7/12/95)
August 10 First-Ever Comprehensive Plan to Reduce Youth Smoking
Proposed
The Clinton-Gore Administration proposed the first-ever
comprehensive plan to reduce youth smoking. The proposal
required young people to prove their age to buy
cigarettes, banned vending machines in places where
minors can go, ended the marketing of cigarettes and
tobacco to minors, and required the tobacco industry to
fund an education campaign to prevent kids from smoking.
The proposal took effect when new FDA regulations were
announced on August 23, 1996.
December 14 Dayton Peace Accords Signed
Leaders of the rival factions in the Bosnian civil war
signed a treaty to end the nearly four-year-old conflict,
formally approving the pact they had initialed in
November in Dayton, Ohio after three weeks of
U.S.-sponsored talks.
1996
January 23 National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy was
formed in response to the President's 1995 State of the
Union. Since President Clinton took office, teen birth
rates have dropped 18 percent, to the lowest level on
record.
February 8 Telecommunications Reform Signed
President Clinton and Vice President Gore achieved the
first major overhaul of the telecommunications laws in 60
years. Reforms of the 1934 Telecommunications Act opened
up competition between local telephone companies, long
distance providers and cable companies; and required the
use of new V-chip technology to enable families to
exercise greater control over the television programming
that comes into their homes. The Act also contained the
Vice President's E-Rate proposal, which provides low-cost
Internet connections for schools, libraries, rural health
clinics and hospitals. (PL 104-104, signed 2/8/96)
February 24 Encouraged the Adoption of School Uniforms
President Clinton took steps to offer support and make it
easier for schools to voluntarily adopt school uniform
policies. Schools across the nation have demonstrated
that school uniforms can lead to safer schools, more
disciplined and orderly classrooms, and free teachers to
focus on teaching and students to focus on learning.
April 24 Antiterrorism Law
The President signed the Antiterrorism and Effective
Death Penalty Act into law at a ceremony at the White
House. President Clinton first sent this legislation to
Congress in February 1995 and called for additional
antiterrorism measures and actions after the devastation
of the federal building in Oklahoma City. The 1996 law
included measures to combat terrorism at home and abroad
including provisions to provide broad Federal
jurisdiction to prosecute terrorist acts, bar terrorists
from entering the United States in the first place,
toughen penalties over a range of terrorist crimes and
increase controls over biological and chemical weapons.
May 17 Megan's Law
The President signed Megan's law to require states to
notify communities when a dangerous sexual predator
resides or moves to the community. The passage of
Megan's Law built on provisions contained in the 1994
Crime Bill, the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children
and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act, which
promoted the establishment of state sex offender
registration systems for child molesters and other
sexually violent offenders.
July 16 Moving Welfare Recipients to Work
President Clinton took the first national steps to
require welfare recipients to move to work. An executive
memorandum issued by the President required participants
in federal training programs for welfare recipients to
work to agree to go to work within two years or face the
prospect of losing their federal assistance. (Exec.
Memorandum 7/16/96)
August 3 Food Quality Protection Act Signed
This Act established the toughest standards for pesticide
residues in food ever, and for the first times required
that the standards take into account special risks to
children. (PL 104-170, signed 8/3/96)
August 6 Safe Drinking Water Act
Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act required the
strongest standards of safety and purity in America's
drinking water while establishing a revolving loan fund
to help communities upgrade their water treatment
facilities. (PL 104-182, signed 8/6/96)
August 20 Minimum Wage Increased
President Clinton and Vice President Gore fought for and
won a 90-cent per hour increase in the minimum wage --
increasing wages for 10 million workers. This increase
was the first in 6 years and in 1996 it was the largest
single-year increase ever. (PL 104-134, signed 8/20/96)
August 21 Kennedy-Kassebaum Health Insurance Reform (Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
This bipartisan health insurance reform bill prevents
individuals from being denied coverage because they have
a preexisting medical condition. It requires insurance
companies to sell coverage to small employer groups and
to individuals who lose group coverage without regard to
their health risk status. It also prohibits
discrimination in enrollment and premiums against
employees and their dependents based on health status.
Finally, it requires insurers to renew the policies they
sell to groups and individuals. As many as 25 million
people have benefited from the greater flexibility that
this law ensures. (PL 104-191, signed 8/21/96)
Requiring Mental Health Parity for Annual and Lifetime
Insurance Limits
To help eliminate discrimination against individuals with
mental illnesses, the President enacted legislation
containing provisions prohibiting health plans from
establishing separate lifetime and annual limits for
mental health coverage.
New Protections for Mothers and Newborns
The President signed into law common sense legislation
that requires health plans to allow new mothers to remain
in the hospital for at least 48 hours following most
normal deliveries and 96 hours after a Cesarean section.
Eliminating the Discriminatory Tax Treatment of the Self-
Employed
HIPAA increased the tax deduction from 30 percent to 80
percent for the approximately 10 million Americans who
are self-employed. The President also signed into law a
provision to phase it in to 100 percent in the Balanced
Budget Act of 1997.
Fighting Fraud and Waste in Medicare
The Kennedy-Kassenbaum legislation created a new stable
source of funding to fight fraud and abuse that is
coordinated by the HHS Office of the Inspector General
and the Department of Justice. Since its passage, nearly
$1.6 billion in fraud and abuse savings has been returned
to the Medicare Trust Fund. Since 1993, the Clinton
Administration has assigned more federal prosecutors and
FBI agents to fight health care fraud than ever before.
As a result, convictions have gone up a full 410 percent
saving more than $50 billion in health care claims.
August 22 Welfare Reform Enacted
President Clinton kept his promise to end welfare as we
know it by requiring welfare recipients to work, limiting
the time they can stay on welfare, and providing child
care and health care to help them make the move from
welfare to work. The landmark bipartisan welfare reform
law signed by the President also enacted tough new child
support enforcement measures proposed by the President.
Since January 1993, the number of people on welfare has
fallen by nearly 60 percent, from 14.1 million to 5.8
million, the smallest welfare rolls in 32 years, and
millions of parents have joined the workforce. (PL
104-193, signed 8/22/96)
September 5 Designated Commission to Design Patients' Bill of Rights
President Clinton created the National Commission on
Health Care Quality and charged it with studying the need
for consumer protections and ways to guarantee the
quality of care. Commission members represented
government, consumers, health care providers, insurers,
and businesses. The recommendations of the Commission
formed the basis for the Patients' Bill of Rights.
(Exec. Order 13017)
September 18 Created Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
The creation of this National Monument preserved
unspoiled remote canyons and extensive geologic and
world-class paleontological sites. President Clinton was
the first President to designate a National Monument
since 1978 and throughout his term the President has
protected more land as national monuments in the lower 48
states -- over 4.6 million acres -- than any president in
history. (Presidential Proclamation, 9/18/96)
1997
February 19 Launched Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign
The President unveiled his National Drug Control Strategy
that set forth a long-term national effort to reduce
illicit drug use and its consequences. Highlights of the
Strategy included: a new $175 million national media
campaign targeting illegal drug use by youth; 500
additional border patrol agents to stem the flow of
illegal drugs across the Southwest Border; and $40
million for counter-drug programs in Peru -- the primary
cocaine source country.
March 4 Banned Federal Research on Human Cloning
Because of the profound ethical issues raised by advances
in cloning technology, the President issued a memorandum
prohibiting the use of federal funds to clone human
beings and urged the entire scientific and medical
community to adopt a voluntary moratorium on the cloning
of human beings. (Exec. Memorandum, 3/4/97)
April 24 Chemical Weapons Convention Ratified
The Senate ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention,
which makes the production, acquisition, stockpiling,
transfer and use of chemical weapons illegal. (Ratified
4/24/97)
May 20 Created the Welfare to Work Partnership
The Welfare to Work Partnership was launched at the
President's urging to lead the national business effort
to hire people from the welfare rolls. Now 20,000
businesses strong, the Partnership has helped an
estimated 1.1 million welfare recipients move to
employment. Under Vice President Gore's leadership, the
Administration has also done its fair share, hiring
50,000 welfare recipients, and has fostered partnerships
between employers and community and faith-based
organizations that help families move from welfare to
work.
June 4 Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Reauthorized
The expanded IDEA applies the same high academic
standards for all children, ensuring that children with
disabilities learn the same things with the same
curricula and the same assessments as all other children.
It also ensures that more children with disabilities can
be in regular classrooms and take part in all school
functions including field trips and extracurricular
activities. (Signed 6/4/97)
June 12 Established the Initiative for One America
To help facilitate a national dialogue aimed at narrowing
America's racial divide, the President appointed a
seven-member Advisory Board on Race. Over the next 15
months, Board members, individually and in teams, held
hundreds of meetings involving thousands of people in
every region of the country. They submitted several
policy proposals that have guided the Administration in
its effort to close the racial gaps that still exist in
America. These include increased civil rights
enforcement, increased early childhood education and
undertaking efforts to make sure all Americans benefit
from our country's prosperity. The work of the Advisory
Board also led to the creation of the One America Office
in the White House to promote the President's goals of
educating the American public about race, encourage
racial reconciliation through national dialogue on race,
identify policies that can expand opportunities for
racial and ethnic minorities, and coordinate the work of
the White House and federal agencies to carry out the
President's vision of One America.
July 16 Stronger Air Quality Regulations Released
The President approved the strongest air quality
standards in history to control pollution from smog and
soot. The standards could prevent 15,000 premature
deaths every year and will improve the lives of millions
of Americans suffering from respiratory illness.
Enforcement of the new standards has been delayed by
court action. (7/16/97)
August 5 Balanced Budget Agreement Reached
In February, the President submitted the first plan to
finish the job of eliminating the deficit and the
balanced budget in 27 years. On August 5th, he signed
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which finished the job
of eliminating the $290 billion budget deficit. (PL
105-34, signed 8/5/97)
$500 per Child Tax Credit
As part of the Balanced Budget Agreement, the President
secured a $500 per child tax credit for approximately 27
million families with children under 17, including
thirteen million children from families with incomes
below $30,000. (PL 105-34, signed 8/5/97)
Children's Health Insurance Program Created
At the urging of the Clinton-Gore Administration,
Congress invested $48 billion for the State Children's
Health Insurance Program -- the single largest investment
in health care for children since the enactment of
Medicaid in 1965. This new program, together with
Medicaid, will provide meaningful health care coverage
for up to five million previously uninsured children --
including prescription drugs, vision, hearing, and mental
health services. Within three years of enactment, all 50
states have implemented S-CHIP programs, and over 2
million children have been covered. In addition, the
number of states covering children up to 200 percent of
poverty increased by more than sevenfold -- to 30 states
-- during that time. (PL 105-34, signed 8/5/97)
Strengthening the Medicare Trust Fund
When the President came into office, Medicare was
projected to become insolvent in 1999. The Balanced
Budget Act extended the life of the Trust Fund by an
additional 10 years resulting in the longest Medicare
Trust Fund solvency in a quarter century, extending the
life of the Medicare Trust Fund by a total of 26 years
and offering premiums that are nearly 20 percent lower
today than projected in 1993.
Modernizing the Medicare Benefit Package
The BBA included a series of structural reforms which
modernize the program, bringing it in line with the
private sector and preparing it for the baby boom
generation. These reforms: waived cost-sharing for
mammography services and provided annual screening
mammograms for beneficiaries age 40 and older to help
detect breast cancer; established a diabetes
self-management benefit; ensured Medicare coverage of
colorectal screening and cervical cancer screening;
ensured coverage of bone mass measurement tests to help
women detect osteoporosis, and increased reimbursement
rates for certain immunizations to protect seniors from
pneumonia, influenza, and hepatitis.
HOPE Scholarships/Lifetime Learning Tax Credits
President Clinton proposed and passed the largest
increase in college opportunity since the GI bill. The
HOPE Scholarship provides a tax credit of up to $1,500
for tuition and fees for the first two years of college.
When fully phased-in, the Lifetime Learning tax credit
will provide a 20 percent tax credit on the first $10,000
of tuition and fees for students beyond the first two
years of college, or taking classes part-time. (PL
105-34, signed 8/5/97)
Welfare-to-Work Grants
Due to President Clinton's leadership, the Balanced
Budget Act included $3 billion over two years for
Welfare-to-Work grants to help states and local
communities move long-term welfare recipients and certain
non-custodial parent in lasting, unsubsidized jobs. This
funding, used for job creation, placement and retention
efforts, has helped the hardest-to-serve welfare
recipients and promotes parental responsibility among
non-custodial parents who need to find work to honor
their responsibilities to their children.
Landmark Education Investments: America Reads, Charter
Schools, Education Technology
The President succeeded in doubling investments in
education technology, increasing charter school funding,
expanding Head Start to reach more than 800,000 children,
and increasing the maximum Pell Grant by 63 percent, to
the largest maximum award ever. The Budget also provided
$300 million for the President's America Reads Challenge.
Together, these programs are the most significant
increase in education funding at the national level in 30
years. (PL 105-34, signed 8/5/97)
Created 20 more Empowerment Zones and 20 more rural
Enterprise Communities
Following Congress' 1994 designation of Cleveland and Los
Angeles as EZs, the President requested a Round 2 of 20
new EZs and 20 new rural Enterprise Communities. The
Round 2 EZs received expanded tax-exempt bonding
authority to increase their ability to stimulate
private-sector job creation for low-income residents.
August 9 Created Smoke-Free Federal Workplaces
President Clinton issued an Executive Order protecting
Federal Government employees and members of the public
from exposure to tobacco smoke in the Federal workplace
and encouraged Federal agencies to establish programs to
help employees stop smoking. The Clinton-Gore
Administration has also made our nation's health a
priority by developing the first-ever plan to protect our
children from tobacco, raising the federal tobacco tax,
and by giving the American people their day in court
against the tobacco manufacturers who engaged in decades
of deception about the dangers of tobacco.
August 13 Required Drug Companies Provide Adequate Testing for
Children
President Clinton directed an important Food and Drug
Administration regulation requiring manufacturers to do
studies on pediatric populations for new prescription
drugs -- and those currently on the market -- to ensure
that prescription drugs have been adequately tested for
the unique needs of children.
August 27 America Reads Child Literacy Initiative Launched
The President set a national goal of making sure that
every child can read independently by the end of third
grade. To reach this goal, the President issued the
America Reads challenge, calling for one million tutors
-- college, university students, senior citizens, and
private sector employees -- to help children learn to
read. In 1997, Congress funded the initiative, with $300
million in grants to help states improve children's
reading skills. More than two million children have been
tutored to read by national service programs such as
AmeriCorps, VISTA, and Foster Grandparents.
October 9 Reached Agreement to Provide Child-Safety Locks With
Handguns
The President announced an agreement with eight of the
country's largest gun manufacturers to include child
safety locks with all new handguns. The voluntary
agreement was reached after negotiations between the
President, the gun manufacturers and the American
Shooting Sports Council. The President had previously
issued an Executive Memorandum requiring federal law
enforcement authorities to provide child safety locks for
their officers' firearms.
November 19 Adoption and Safe Families Act Passed
This bipartisan legislation enacted many of the
recommendations of the President's Adoption 2002 report.
In order to meet the President's challenge of doubling
the number of adoptions by 2002, the Act provides
incentives to states to permanently place children in
foster care. In 1999, 46,000 foster care children were
adopted -- more than a 64 percent increase since 1996 and
the biggest increase in adoptions since the National
Foster Care Program was created almost 20 years ago. (PL
105-89, signed 11/19/97)
November 20 Endorsed the Recommendations of the Historic Quality
Commission.
In 1996, the President created a non-partisan,
broad-based Commission on quality and charged them with
developing a patients' bill of rights as their first
order of business. In October of 1997, the President
accepted the Commission's recommendation that all health
plans should provide strong patient protections,
including guaranteed access to needed health care
specialists; access to emergency room services when and
where the need arises; continuity of care protections;
and access to a fair, unbiased and timely internal and
independent external appeals process. The work of the
Commission lay the foundation for subsequent
administrative and legislative initiatives to improve
patient protections and quality improvement.
November 21 FDA Reform Legislation Signed
The President supported and signed the FDA Modernization
Act of 1997, the first major food and medical products
reform in 35 years. The Act cut approval times of new
drugs in half, simplified the review process for medical
devices, expanded participation in experimental
treatments for AIDS, Alzheimer's and cancer patients, and
protected consumers by ensuring accurate food labeling.
(PL 105-115, signed 11/21/97)
December 16 NATO Expanded to Eastern Europe
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright signed protocols
for the accession of Poland, Hungary and the Czech
Republic into NATO. The expansion of NATO to include
these three former Warsaw Pact nations was a historic
step in ensuring peace and stability in Eastern Europe.
NATO expansion was ratified in May 1998 after it was
approved by a strong bipartisan Senate majority.
1998
January 7 Child Care Initiative
The President successfully initiated an historic effort
to improve child care for America's working families.
President Clinton's initiative responded to the struggles
our nation's working parents face in finding child care
that they can afford, trust, and rely on. The
President's initiative helped working families pay for
child care by more than doubling funding for child care
subsidies and nearly doubling funding for Head Start; it
built a supply of good after-school programs that will
serve 1.3 million children in 2001; and, it is working to
improve the safety and quality of care, and promote early
learning through the recently passed Early Learning
Opportunities Act.
February 20 Implemented the Patients' Bill of Rights for Federal
Health Plans
In order to ensure that 85 million Americans in federal
health plans benefit from essential health protections
developed by the President's Health Care Quality
Commission, President Clinton ordered federal health
plans to comply with provisions of the Patients' Bill of
Rights. The President's order guaranteed choice of
providers and plans, access to emergency services,
participation in treatment decisions, confidentiality of
health information and a fair complaint and appeals
process. Medicare, Medicaid, S-CHIP, the Indian Health
Service, FEHBP plans, the Veterans Administration
facilities, and the Military Health System are responding
by ensuring that all protections that can be extended
under current law be provided.
April 11 Good Friday Peace Accords Signed
President Clinton helped conclude the Good Friday Peace
Accords, a historic peace agreement between all the major
parties to the long conflict over Northern Ireland. The
accord represents the best hope in a generation for a
just and lasting peace in Northern Ireland. (4/11/98)
July 16 Child Support Incentives
The President signed into law the "Child Support
Performance and Incentive Act of 1998," which built on
prior legislative and executive actions to improve child
support collections by establishing performance-based
rewards for states on a range of key child support goals.
The Clinton Administration has taken great strides in
promoting responsible fatherhood; since 1992, paternity
establishment has tripled and child support collections
have doubled.
July 21 Improving Nursing Home Quality
In July of 1998, President Clinton initiated a new
nursing home quality initiative that ensures swift and
strong penalties for nursing homes failing to comply with
standards, strengthened oversight of state enforcement
mechanisms, and implemented unprecedented efforts to
improve nutrition and prevent bed sores. Finally, the
Administration recently instructed states to eliminate
corrective periods during which nursing homes could avoid
the imposition of sanctions, such as fines, when a
nursing home is found to have caused harm to a resident
on consecutive surveys, in order to put additional
pressure on nursing homes to meet all health and safety
standards.
August 7 Workforce Investment Act
Long championed by President Clinton and Vice-President
Gore, this bi-partisan legislation was enacted to
streamline and bring greater accountability to our
nation's job training system. (signed 8/7/98)
October 7 GEAR UP Initiative Created
In his 1998 State of the Union address, President Clinton
urged Congress "to support our efforts to enlist colleges
and universities to reach out to disadvantaged children,
starting in the 7th grade, so that they can get the
guidance and hope they need so they can know that they,
too, will be able to go on to college." Congress enacted
GEAR UP without a single dissenting vote. GEAR UP
provides intensive early intervention services that have
helped prepare up to 700,000 students at high-poverty
middle schools for college. GEAR UP was included in the
Higher Education Amendments of 1998, which also reduced
student loan interest rates, saving students about $50
for every $1,000 in debt; supported partnerships between
universities and school systems to strengthen teacher
preparation and quality; and created the first federal
performance-based organization to administer student aid.
(signed 10/7/98)
October 21 Class Size Reduction Initiative Launched
After initially refusing to provide any funding at all,
Congress agreed to provide $1.2 billion for the first
year of the President's new initiative to hire 100,000
new teachers to reduce class size in the early grades to
a national average of 18. This initiative is the first
comprehensive effort to reduce class size across the
nation. (PL 105-277, signed 10/21/98)
21st Century Community Learning Centers
In 1998, a Clinton Administration initiative launched a
series of dramatic funding increases for before- and
after-school programs, turning a small demonstration
program into one of the most popular Federal education
programs. President Clinton won $846 million for the
21st Century Community Learning Centers program for 2001,
up from only $1 million in 1997, and it will serve about
1.3 million children.
October 23 Wye Middle East Peace Agreement Signed
After nine days of negotiations at the Wye Conference
Center in Maryland, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Yasser
Arafat signed an agreement that will strengthen Israeli
security, expand the area of Palestinian control in the
West Bank, and enhance opportunities for the Israeli and
Palestinian people. (10/23/98)
October 27 Head Start Expansion and Reauthorization (Human Services
Reauthorization Act)
The reauthorization of Head Start paved the way for
further quality improvements, doubled participation in
the Early Head Start program and moved toward the
President's goal of providing quality Head Start
opportunities for one million children. (PL 105-285,
10/27/98)
Individual Development Accounts
In addition to reauthorizing Head Start, the Human
Services Reauthorization Act of 1998 also created the
Individual Development Account Demonstration Program to
encourage low-income families to save for a first home,
post-secondary education or to start a new business. (PL
105-285, 10/27/98)
December 12 Global Warming Protocol Signed in Kyoto, Japan
With critical leadership from the Clinton-Gore
Administration, 160 nations agreed on the basic
architecture of a strategy to combat global warming on
December 12, 1997. This agreement is the first time that
major nations of the world ever committed themselves to a
comprehensive plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
December 16 Air Attacks on Saddam Hussein
Beginning December 16, 1998, American forces attacked
Iraq's nuclear, chemical, and biological programs, and
its military capacity to threaten its neighbors. Saddam
Hussein had announced that he would no longer cooperate
with UN inspectors to conduct inspections that would
guarantee that Iraq does not try and rebuild its capacity
to create weapons of mass destruction.
1999
April 29 Education Flexibility Partnership Act of 1999 Signed
Ed-Flex is designed to help districts and schools carry
out educational reforms and raise the achievement levels
of all children by providing increased flexibility in the
implementation of federal education programs. In
exchange, states are required to demonstrate enhanced
accountability for the performance of all students.
March 12 Clarifying Over The Counter Drug Labels.
The President unveiled a historic new FDA regulation
that, for the first time, requires over-the-counter drug
products to use a new product label with larger print and
clearer language, making it easier for consumers to
understand product warnings and comply with dosage
guidance. The new regulation provides Americans with
essential information about their medications in a user
friendly way and takes a critical first step towards
preventing the tens of thousands of unnecessary
hospitalizations caused by misuse of over-the-counter
medications each year.
April 27 Education Flexibility Partnership Act Signed
This legislation expanded the Ed-Flex demonstration
program to enable all states, the District of Columbia,
Puerto Rico, and the territories to form Ed-Flex
partnerships, giving states and communities the ability
to use federal resources in the ways that best complement
local efforts and innovation. Under Ed-Flex, states can
waive many of the requirements of federal education
programs in exchange for accountability for results.
May 12 100,000 Officers Funded
Under budget and ahead of schedule, the President's goal
of funding 100,000 officers was reached. The President's
successful community policing initiative has played a key
role in producing the longest continuous drop in crime on
record. In November 1999, President Clinton secured
funding for the first installment of his 21st Century
Policing Initiative over Congressional opposition. The
new initiative will fund up to 50,000 additional
community police officers by 2005 and equip them with
new, advanced tools to fight crime. (PL 106-113, signed
11/29/99)
June 16 Leading the World in Eliminating Child Labor
In June 1999, the President traveled to the International
Labor Organization Conference in Geneva, Switzerland to
urge adoption of an historic international convention
that would ban the worst forms of child labor. The next
day, the Child Labor Convention was unanimously adopted
by delegates at the conference. It represents the largest
investment in American history to end abusive child labor
around the globe.
June 20 Achieving Victory in Kosovo
President Clinton led the NATO Alliance in a 79-day air
war that expelled Serb forces from Kosovo and restored
self-government to the province, ending a decade of
repression and reversing
Slobodan Milosevic's brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing.
In the face of Allied unity, American military
superiority, and strong Presidential leadership,
Milosevic withdrew his troops and permitted international
peacekeepers to begin returning refugees. (3/24-6/20/99)
October 29 Medical Privacy Protections Announced
President Clinton announced new regulations to protect
the privacy of personal medical records. The President's
action gave consumers greater access to and control over
their records, restricted the disclosure of protected
health information to the minimum necessary, and
established new disclosure requirements for researchers
and others seeking access to health records.
November 12 Financial Modernization Legislation Enacted
President Clinton signed the Financial Modernization Act
into law, finally revamping a banking system that had
been in place since the Great Depression. The new law
will increase innovation and competition in the financial
services industry, including traditional banking,
insurance and securities industries, giving consumers
greater choice and lower prices. The President insisted
that the new regulatory structure permit banking
institutions to expand into these newly authorized lines
of business only if they satisfactorily serve the credit
needs of their communities, and that the law include many
of the consumer privacy provisions he proposed. (PL
106-102, signed 11/12/99)
November 18 Expanded Federal Investment in After-School and Summer
School Programs
President Clinton signed a significant increase in 21st
Century Community Learning Centers, expanding the federal
investment in after-school and summer school programs
from a small pilot project. This initiative currently
serves over 850,000 Americans nationwide, and will serve
1.3 million children next year.
November 29 Work Incentives Improvement Act Signed
After months of congressional inaction, President Clinton
insisted that Congress pass the Work Incentives
Improvement Act as a condition of the budget agreement.
This bipartisan Act allows people with disabilities to
maintain their Medicare or Medicaid coverage when they go
to work. This law represents one of the most important
legislative advances for people with disabilities since
the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
(PL 106-113, signed 11/29/99)
Leveraged $90 Billion in International Debt Relief
President Clinton has been an international leader in
recognizing and solving the debt problems of developing
countries. To meet the commitments he made at the G-7
Economic Summit in Cologne in June and at his address to
the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings in September,
President Clinton secured funds from Congress to leverage
over $90 billion of debt relief for developing nations.
Along with funds from other creditor nations, this plan
tripled the amount of debt relief available to the
world's poorest nations. (PL 106-113, signed 11/29/99)
December 14 Enacted New Legislation to Help Young People Leaving
Foster Care
Today, when young people emancipate from foster care,
they face numerous health risks, but too often lose their
health insurance. The new law grants states the option
for these young people to remain eligible for Medicaid up
to age 21. HHS issued guidance to all State Medicaid
Directors encouraging them to take up this option.
(Public Law 106-169)
2000
March 17 Historic Smith & Wesson Agreement
The President announced the Administration's historic
Agreement with several cities and counties and the
nation's largest handgun manufacturer, Smith & Wesson, to
reform the way they design, distribute and market their
products. Among the key provisions are new design
standards to make guns safer and prevent accidental
shootings and gun deaths, such as locking devices on
handguns and the incorporation of smart gun technology,
and sales and distribution controls to help keep guns out
of the hands of criminals and to crack down on illegal
gun traffickers, such as cutting off dealers that sell a
disproportionate share of crime guns and not selling to
dealers who sell at gun shows unless background checks
are conducted.
April 7 Senior Citizen's Freedom to Work Act Passed
In his January 1999 State of the Union Address the
President stated that "we should eliminate the limits on
what seniors on Social Security can earn." In 2000, the
House and Senate unanimously voted to eliminate the
retirement earnings test for people above the normal
retirement age. (PL 106-182, signed 4/7/00)
April 15 Created New National Monument To Preserve Ancient
Sequoias
President Clinton signed a proclamation creating the
Giant Sequoia National Monument. This 328,000-acre
monument will ensure lasting protection for 34 groves of
ancient sequoias, the largest trees on Earth. (4/15/00)
May 18 Africa Growth and Opportunity Act and the U.S.-Caribbean
Basin Trade Partnership Act Signed
Expands two-way trade and create incentives for the
countries of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and the Caribbean
Basin to continue reforming their economies and
participate more fully in the benefits of the global
economy. This area forms the sixth largest export market
for the United States. (PL 106-200, signed 5/18/00)
June 7 Providing Medicare Reimbursement For Costs Associated
with Participation in Clinical Trials.
The President issued an Executive Memorandum directing
the Medicare program to revise its payment policy and
immediately begin to explicitly reimburse providers for
the cost of routine patient care associated with
participation in clinical trials. HHS was directed to
take additional action to promote the participation of
Medicare beneficiaries in clinical trials for all
diseases, including activities to increase beneficiary
awareness of the new coverage option and actions to
ensure that the information gained from important
clinical trials is used to inform coverage decisions by
properly structuring the trial.
June 9 Preserved Four Unique and Irreplaceable National
Monuments
President Clinton signed proclamations creating four new
national monuments to protect federal lands representing
unique, irreplaceable pieces of America's natural and
cultural heritage. The four are the Canyons of the
Ancients National Monument in southwest Colorado, the
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southern Oregon,
the Hanford Reach National Monument in south central
Washington, and the Ironwood Forest National Monument in
southern Arizona.
June 30 Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act
Signed
This Act eliminated legal barriers to using electronic
technology to form and sign contracts, collect and store
documents, and send and receive notices and disclosures.
It also contained important protections making sure that
consumers shopping on-line are protected to the same
extent as paper transactions. (PL 106-229, signed
6/30/00)
July 1 Campaign Finance Disclosure Enacted
President Clinton signed the first new campaign finance
reform legislation in 20 years, closing a loophole that
allowed tax-exempt groups to use undisclosed donors to
pay for political ad campaigns. (PL 106-230, signed
7/1/00)
July 13 Plan Colombia Enacted
President Clinton proposed a new aid package to bolster
democracy and combat drug trafficking in Colombia. The
agreement will enhance alternative development,
strengthen civil justice and democratic institutions, and
provide assistance aimed at reducing the flow of cocaine
and other narcotics to the United States. (PL 106-246,
signed 7/13/00)
October 10 China-PNTR Enacted
This Act was a crucial step to complete a major trade
goal of the Clinton-Gore Administration, opening China's
markets to American manufactured goods, farm products and
services by allowing China to become part of the WTO,
forcing it to slash import barriers against American
goods and services. The United States agreed to maintain
market access policies we currently apply to China. (PL
106-286, signed 10/10/00)
October 24 Providing Health Insurance to Women With Breast Cancer
President Clinton enacted legislation to provide a new
Medicaid option to provide needed insurance coverage to
the thousands of uninsured women with breast and cervical
cancer detected by Federally supported screening
programs. This new proposal will help eliminate the
current and frequently overwhelming financial barriers to
treatment for these women.
October 27 Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act of
2000
The President signed this landmark legislation, which
expands and strengthens the Violence Against Women Act,
passed as part of the Crime Bill in 1994. The
legislation also provides new tools and resources to
combat the worldwide scourge of trafficking in persons
and helps American victims of terrorism abroad to collect
court-awarded compensation. From 1993 through 1998,
violence against women by intimate partners fell by 21
percent. (PL 106-386, 10/27/00)
Reauthorizing the Older Americans Act
The Older Americans Act ensures that millions of seniors
nationwide have access to meals, nursing home ombudsmen,
legal assistance, elder abuse prevention, employment and
transportation services that are essential to their
dignity and independence. This legislation includes the
National Family Caregiver Support Program -- a key
Administration priority designed to provide respite care
and other supportive services to help hundreds of
thousands of families who are struggling to care for
their older loved ones who are ill or disabled.
November 13 New Worker Health And Safety Rules To Prevent Repetitive
Stress Injuries Announced
The new rule announced by the Administration is aimed at
reducing approximately 1.8 million repetitive stress
injuries that affect workers. Based on extensive
scientific research and public comment, the
Administration's proposal would save 300,000 workers the
pain and suffering associated with these injuries, and
save American businesses $9 billion a year in workers
compensation and lost productivity. The final rules will
take effect January 16, 2001.
December 15 Passed $1.2 Billion for Emergency School Repairs
In the FY 2001 budget, President Clinton won passage of
an historic $1.2 billion initiative for emergency school
renovation. The initiative will help schools make
much-needed repairs, such as roofs, heating and cooling
systems, and electrical wiring. The assistance would be
targeted to high-need districts and includes $75 million
for public schools with high concentrations of Native
American students.
Passed the New Markets Initiative
The FY 2001 budget also includes historic bipartisan New
Markets and community renewal initiative -- the most
significant effort ever to help hard-pressed communities
lift themselves up through private investment and
entrepreneurship. With the help of the New Markets tax
credit, 40 strengthened empowerment zones and 40 renewal
communities, this initiative will spur billions of
dollars in private investment, and ensure that every
American will share in nation's economic prosperity.
Budget Includes Important Investments in Health Care
The President's longstanding commitment to expand access
to quality health care for all Americans is reflected in
the FY 2001 budget, which includes a multi-billion dollar
effort to provide low-income children, seniors and people
with disabilities, and those leaving welfare for work,
with health care coverage. It also expands preventive
benefits like cancer and glaucoma screenings for Medicare
beneficiaries.
The Clinton Presidency:
Historic Economic Growth
In 1993, President Clinton and Vice President Gore launched their economic strategy: (1) establishing fiscal discipline, eliminating the budget deficit, keeping interest rates low, and spurring private-sector investment; (2) investing in people through education, training, science, and research; and (3) opening foreign markets so American workers can compete abroad. After eight years, the results of President Clinton's economic leadership are clear. Record budget deficits have become record surpluses, 22 million new jobs have been created, unemployment and core inflation are at their lowest levels in more than 30 years, and America is in the midst of the longest economic expansion in our history.
President Clinton's Record on the Economy: In 1992, 10 million Americans
were unemployed, the country faced record deficits, and poverty and
welfare rolls were growing. Family incomes were losing ground to
inflation and jobs were being created at the slowest rate since the
Great Depression. Today, America enjoys what may be the strongest
economy ever.
-- Strong Economic Growth: Since President Clinton and Vice President
Gore took office, economic growth has averaged 4.0 percent per
year, compared to average growth of 2.8 percent during the
Reagan-Bush years. The economy has grown for 116 consecutive
months, the most in history.
-- Most New Jobs Ever Created Under a Single Administration: The
economy has created more than 22.5 million jobs in less than eight
years -- the most jobs ever created under a single administration,
and more than were created in the previous 12 years. Of the total
new jobs, 20.7 million, or 92 percent, are in the private sector.
-- Median Family Income Up $6,000 since 1993: Economic gains have been
made across the spectrum as family incomes increased for all
Americans. Since 1993, real median family income has increased by
$6,338, from $42,612 in 1993 to $48,950 in 1999 (in 1999 dollars).
-- Unemployment at Its Lowest Level in More than 30 Years: Overall
unemployment has dropped to the lowest level in more than 30 years,
down from 6.9 percent in 1993 to just 4.0 percent in November 2000.
The unemployment rate has been below 5 percent for 40 consecutive
months. Unemployment for African Americans has fallen from 14.2
percent in 1992 to 7.3 percent in October 2000, the lowest rate on
record. Unemployment for Hispanics has fallen from 11.8 percent in
October 1992 to 5.0 percent in October 2000, also the lowest rate
on record.
-- Lowest Inflation since the 1960s: Inflation is at the lowest rate
since the Kennedy Administration, averaging 2.5 percent, and it is
down from 4.7 percent during the previous administration.
-- Highest Homeownership Rate on Record: The homeownership rate
reached 67.7 percent for the third quarter of 2000, the highest
rate on record. In contrast, the homeownership rate fell from 65.6
percent in the first quarter of 1981 to 63.7 percent in the first
quarter of 1993.
-- 7 Million Fewer Americans Living in Poverty: The poverty rate has
declined from 15.1 percent in 1993 to 11.8 percent last year, the
largest six-year drop in poverty in nearly 30 years. There are now
7 million fewer people in poverty than there were in 1993.
Establishing Fiscal Discipline and Paying off the National Debt
President Clinton's Record on Fiscal Discipline: Between 1981 and 1992, the national debt held by the public quadrupled. The annual budget deficit grew to $290 billion in 1992, the largest ever, and was projected to grow to more than $455 billion by Fiscal Year (FY) 2000. As a result of the tough and sometimes unpopular choices made by President Clinton, and major deficit reduction legislation passed in 1993 and 1997, we have seen eight consecutive years of fiscal improvement for the first time in America's history. -- Largest Surplus Ever: The surplus in FY 2000 is $237 billion -- the
third consecutive surplus and the largest surplus ever. -- Largest Three-Year Debt Pay-Down Ever: Between 1998-2000, the
publicly held debt was reduced by $363 billion -- the largest
three-year pay-down in American history. Under Presidents Reagan
and Bush, the debt held by the public quadrupled. Under the
Clinton-Gore budget, we are on track to pay off the entire publicly
held debt on a net basis by 2009.
-- Lower Federal Government Spending: After increasing under the
previous two administrations, federal government spending as a
share of the economy has been cut from 22.2 percent in 1992 to 18
percent in 2000 -- the lowest level since 1966.
-- Reduced Interest Payments on the Debt: In 1993, the net interest
payments on the debt held by the public were projected to grow to
$348 billion in FY 2000. In 2000, interest payments on the debt
were $125 billion lower than projected.
-- Americans Benefit from Reduced Debt: Because of fiscal discipline
and deficit and debt reduction, it is estimated that a family with
a home mortgage of $100,000 might expect to save roughly $2,000 per
year in mortgage payments, like a large tax cut.
-- Double Digit Growth in Private Investment in Equipment and
Software: Lower debt will help maintain strong economic growth and
fuel private investments. With government no longer draining
resources out of capital markets, private investment in equipment
and software averaged 13.3 percent annual growth since 1993,
compared to 4.7 percent during 1981 to 1992.
To Establish Fiscal Discipline, President Clinton: -- Enacted the 1993 Deficit Reduction Plan without a Single Republican
Vote. Prior to 1993, the debate over fiscal policy often revolved
around a false choice between public investment and deficit
reduction. The 1993 deficit reduction plan showed that deficit and
debt reductions could be accomplished in a progressive way by
slashing the deficit in half and making important investments in
our future, including education, health care, and science and
technology research. The plan included more than $500 billion in
deficit reduction. It also cut taxes for 15 million of the
hardest-pressed Americans by expanding the Earned Income Tax
Credit; created the Direct Student Loan Program; created the first
nine Empowerment Zones and first 95 Enterprise Communities; and
passed tax cuts for small businesses and research and development.
-- Negotiated the Balanced Budget Agreement of 1997. In his 1997
State of the Union address, President Clinton announced his plan to
balance the budget for the first time in 27 years. Later that
year, he signed the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, a major bipartisan
agreement to eliminate the national budget deficit, create the
conditions for economic growth, and invest in the education and
health of our people. It provided middle-class tax relief with a
$500 per child tax credit and the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime
Learning tax credits for college. It also created the Children's
Health Insurance Program to serve up to 5 million children and made
landmark investments in education initiatives including educational
technology, charter schools, Head Start, and Pell Grants. Finally,
it added 20 more Empowerment Zones and 20 more rural Enterprise
Communities, included the President's plan to revitalize the
District of Columbia, and continued welfare reform though $3
billion in new resources to move welfare recipients to
private-sector jobs.
-- Dedicated the Surplus to Save Social Security and Reduce the
National Debt. In his 1998 and 1999 State of the Union addresses,
President Clinton called on the nation to save the surplus until
the solvency of Social Security is assured. He also repeatedly
vetoed large Republican tax cut bills that would have jeopardized
our nation's fiscal discipline. The President's actions led to a
bipartisan consensus on saving the surplus and paying down the
debt.
-- Extended Medicare Solvency from 1999 to 2025. When President
Clinton took office, Medicare was expected to become insolvent in
1999, then only six years away. The 1993 deficit reduction act
dedicated some of the taxes paid by Social Security beneficiaries
to the Medicare Trust Fund and extended the life of Medicare by
three years to 2002. Thanks to additional provisions to combat
waste, fraud and abuse and bipartisan cooperation in the 1997
balanced budget agreement, Medicare is now expected to remain
solvent until 2025.
Clinton-Gore Economic Policy Has Dramatically Improved the Economy
"My colleagues and I have been very appreciative of your [President Clinton's] support of the Fed over the years, and your commitment to fiscal discipline has been instrumental in achieving what in a few weeks will be the longest economic expansion in the nation's history." -- Alan Greenspan, Federal Reserve Board Chairman, January 4, 2000, with President Clinton at Chairman Greenspan's re-nomination announcement
"The deficit has come down, and I give the Clinton Administration and President Clinton himself a lot of credit for that. [He] did something about it, fast. And I think we are seeing some benefits." -- Paul Volcker, Federal Reserve Board Chairman (1979-1987), in Audacity, Fall 1994
One of the reasons Goldman Sachs cites for the "best economy ever" is
that "on the policy side, trade, fiscal, and monetary policies have been
excellent, working in ways that have facilitated growth without
inflation. The Clinton Administration has worked to liberalize trade
and has used any revenue windfalls to reduce the federal budget
deficit."
-- Goldman Sachs, March 1998
"Clinton's 1993 budget cuts, which reduced projected red ink by more
than $400 billion over five years, sparked a major drop in interest
rates that helped boost investment in all the equipment and systems that
brought forth the New Age economy of technological innovation and rising
productivity."
-- Business Week, May 19, 1997
Opening World Markets to American Goods and Providing Leadership on Globalization
President Clinton's Record on Trade and Globalization: In 1992, 10 million Americans were unemployed, new job creation was slow, and wages were stagnant. Other nations' high trade barriers limited the ability of American businesses and farmers to sell their goods abroad and hampered economic recovery. Our trade policies failed to reflect our values by failing to take into account the responsibility to protect our environment, eliminate child labor and sweatshops, and protect the rights of workers around the world. But today: -- 300 Trade Agreements: President Clinton has opened markets for U.S.
exports abroad and created American jobs through nearly 300 free
and fair trade agreements.
-- The Most U.S. Exports Ever. Between 1992 and 2000, U.S. exports of
goods and services grew by 74 percent, or nearly $500 billion, to
top $1 trillion for the first time.
-- 1.4 Million More Jobs due to Exports: Jobs supported by American
exports grew by 1.4 million between 1994 and 1998, with jobs
supported by exports paying about 13 percent to 16 percent above
the U.S. national average. Jobs related to goods exports pay, on
average, 13 to 16 percent higher than other jobs.
-- Lowest Inflation since the 1960s: Inflation is at the lowest rate
since the Kennedy Administration, in part because global
competition has kept prices low. It has averaged 2.5 percent under
this Administration, down from 4.6 percent during the previous
administration.
To Create Trade Opportunities and Expand the Benefits of Globalization,
President Clinton:
-- Won Ratification of the North America Free Trade Association
(NAFTA) in 1993, creating the world's largest free trade zone of
the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. U.S. exports to Mexico grew 109
percent from 1993 to 1999, while exports to the rest of the world
grew by 49 percent.
-- Won Approval of Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China. In
2000, Congress ratified permanent normal trade relations with
China. The agreement will integrate China into the world economy
through entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), open Chinese
market to U.S. exports, slash Chinese tariffs, and protect American
workers and companies against dumping.
-- Successfully Completed the Uruguay Round. The 1994 Uruguay Round
transformed the world trading system, opening markets in a wide
range of industries, enabling the U.S. to enforce agreements more
effectively, and applying the rules for the first time to all WTO
members (now 138 in total).
-- Fought for the First-Ever African and the Caribbean Basin Trade
Bills. The African Growth and Opportunity Act of 2000 will support
increased trade and investment between the United States and
Africa, strengthen African economies and democratic governments,
and increase partnerships to counter terrorism, crime,
environmental degradation and disease. The legislation will also
create incentives for the countries of sub-Saharan Africa and the
Caribbean Basin to continue reforming their economies.
-- Promoted Trade Opportunities for High Technology. The Clinton
Administration completed series of trade agreements on technology,
including the WTO's commitment to duty-free cyberspace, keeping the
Internet free of trade barriers, in 1998; the global WTO agreements
on Financial Services and Basic Telecommunications in 1997; the
global WTO agreement on Information Technology in 1996; and a
series of bilateral agreements on intellectual property, high-tech
products, services and other sectors. These efforts are the
building blocks of the New Economy.
-- Secured Historic Debt Relief. In March 1999, President Clinton
presented a plan to a U.S.-Africa Summit in Washington that became
the basis for the G-7 agreement in Cologne, Germany (known as the
Cologne Debt Initiative). The plan would triple the amount of debt
relief available for poor countries, reducing their debt by about
70 percent ($90 billion), in return for firm commitments to channel
the benefits into improving the lives of all their people. In
September 1999, the President announced that the U.S. would
unilaterally exceed the terms of the G-7 initiative and entirely
cancel the $5.7 billion in U.S. government debt owed by qualifying
countries. In November 2000, President Clinton won $435 million
from Congress for U.S. participation in the Cologne Initiative.
-- Dramatically Expanded U.S. Efforts to Fight Child Labor and Expand
Basic Education. In June 1999, the President traveled to the
International Labor Organization (ILO) conference in Geneva,
Switzerland, to urge adoption of an historic international
convention banning the worst forms of child labor. He won $30
million for ILO enforcement of child labor laws and is fighting for
a new initiative to promote basic education in areas of the world
where child labor is widespread. In 2000, at U.S. urging, the G-8
countries endorsed the goal of universal basic education.
President Clinton brought other issues to the forefront of the
international economic agenda, including incorporating labor and
environmental considerations in the work of major international
economic institutions, increasing U.S. support for global efforts
to fight HIV-AIDS and infectious diseases, and closing the digital
divide.
-- Defused International Economic Crises. In 1995, after Congress
refused to act, President Clinton made $20 billion in emergency
loans to Mexico to stabilize the country's financial markets.
Mexico repaid the loans in full, with interest, three years ahead
of schedule. Following the Asian and Russian financial crises in
1997 and 1998, the Clinton-Gore Administration led a global effort
to re-capitalize the International Monetary Fund to allow it to
more effectively deal with these problems. President Clinton also
insisted that the G-7 develop a set of measures to restore
confidence in the world financial system.
-- Promoted U.S. Competitiveness. The Clinton-Gore Administration has
made key investments in education and training for American workers
and research and development. It has also maintained federal
fiscal discipline, helping to reduce interest rates, encourage
private-sector investment, and keep productivity high.
Rewarding Work and Empowering Communities
President Clinton's Record on Rewarding Work: In 1992, unemployment
reached 7.5 percent, the highest level in eight years. Unemployment and
poverty rates for African Americans and Hispanics were alarming:
unemployment reached 14.2 percent for African Americans and 11.8 percent
for Hispanics, and poverty rates for both groups were nearly 30 percent.
But today:
-- Higher Incomes at All Levels: After years of stagnant income growth
among average and lower-income families, all income brackets have
experienced double-digit income growth since 1993. The bottom 20
percent saw the largest income growth at 16.3 percent.
-- Lowest Poverty Rate in 20 Years: Since Congress passed President
Clinton's Economic Plan in 1993, the poverty rate declined from
15.1 percent to 11.8 percent last year, the largest six-year drop
in poverty in nearly 30 years. There are now 7 million fewer
people in poverty than there were in 1993. The child poverty rate
has declined more than 25 percent, the poverty rate for single
mothers is the lowest ever, the African American and elderly
poverty rates dropped to their lowest level on record, and the
Hispanic poverty rate dropped to its lowest level since 1979.
-- Lowest Poverty Rate for Single Mothers on Record: Under President
Clinton, the poverty rate for families with single mothers has
fallen from 46.1 percent in 1993 to 35.7 percent in 1999, the
lowest level on record. Between 1980 and 1992, an additional 2.1
million households headed by single women were pushed into poverty.
-- Smallest Welfare Rolls Since 1969: Under the Clinton-Gore
Administration, the welfare rolls have dropped dramatically and are
now the lowest since 1969. Between January 1993 and September of
1999, the number of welfare recipients dropped by 7.5 billion (a 53
percent decline) to 6.6 million. In comparison, between 1981-1992,
the number of welfare recipients increased by 2.5 million (a 22
percent increase) to 13.6 million people.
To Help All Americans Benefit from Prosperity, President Clinton: -- Ended Welfare as We Knew It. In 1996, President Clinton signed
legislation requiring welfare recipients to work, limiting the time
they can stay on welfare, and providing child care and health care
to help them begin work. It also enacted tough new child support
enforcement measures proposed by the President. In 1997, President
Clinton won the welfare-to-work tax credit to encourage employers
to hire long-term welfare recipients and $3 billion in additional
resources to help communities move long-term welfare recipients
into lasting, unsubsidized jobs.
-- Rewarded Work by Expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit. In 1993,
President Clinton succeeded in winning passage of an expansion of
the Earned Income Tax Credit, giving a tax cut to 15 million of the
hardest-pressed American workers. In 1999, the EITC lifted 4.1
million people out of poverty, nearly double the number lifted out
of poverty by the EITC in 1993.
-- Created Empowerment Zones. The 1993 Clinton-Gore economic plan
created nine Empowerment Zones and 95 Enterprise Communities to
spur local community planning and economic growth in distressed
communities through tax incentives and federal investment. The
President won expansions of the program in 1994, 1997, and again in
2000. To date, the 31 Empowerment Zones and 95 Enterprise
Communities have leveraged over $10 billion in new private sector
investment, creating thousands of new jobs for local residents.
-- Created Community Development Financial Institutions. In September
1994, the President signed legislation creating the Community
Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, a Clinton campaign
proposal to support specialized financial institutions serving
often-overlooked customers and communities. The Fund has certified
over 400 CDFIs. It has provided over $427 million to match
investments in CDFIs and to encourage traditional financial
institutions to increase their lending, investment and services in
under-served markets.
-- Strengthened the Community Reinvestment Act. In 1995, the
Administration updated the Community Reinvestment Act regulations
to focus on banks' actual service delivery, rather than on
compliance efforts. From 1993 to 1998, lenders subject to the law
increased mortgage lending to low- and moderate-income families by
80 percent -- more than twice the rate they increased mortgage
lending to other income groups.
-- Encouraged Investment in America's New Markets. In 1999, the
President went on two historic "New Markets" trips to highlight the
continuing need to bring investment to impoverished inner cities,
rural communities and Native American tribal lands. In 2000, the
President and Congress worked together to pass this bipartisan
initiative to stimulate new private capital investments in
economically distressed communities and build network of private
investment institutions to funnel credit, equity and technical
assistance to businesses in America's new markets.
-- Raised the Minimum Wage. In 1996, President Clinton and Vice
President Gore fought for and won a 90-cent per hour increase in
the minimum wage, helping 10 million workers.
-- Helped People with Disabilities Work. In 1999, President Clinton
insisted that Congress pass the Work Incentives Improvement Act as
a condition of the budget agreement. This bipartisan law allows
people with disabilities to maintain their Medicare or Medicaid
coverage when they work.
Modernizing for the New Economy through Technology and Consensus Deregulation
To Capitalize on the Information Technology Revolution, President
Clinton and Vice President Gore Have:
-- Modernized Financial Services Laws. In 1993, the laws that
governed America's financial service sector were antiquated and
anti-competitive. The Clinton-Gore Administration fought to
modernize those laws to increase competition in traditional
banking, insurance, and securities industries to give consumers and
small businesses more choices and lower costs. In 1994, the
Clinton-Gore Administration broke another decades-old logjam by
allowing banks to branch across state lines in the Riegle-Neal
Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act of 1994. President
Clinton fought for and won financial modernization legislation,
signing the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in November 1999.
-- Reformed Telecommunications. In 1996, President Clinton signed
legislation to open up competition between local telephone
companies, long distance providers and cable companies. The law
also requires the use of new V-chip technology to give families
greater control over which television programming comes into their
homes.
-- Created the E-Rate. With the leadership of Vice President Gore,
the Telecommunications Act contained the E-Rate initiative, which
provides low-cost Internet connections for schools, libraries,
rural health clinics and hospitals. More than 80 percent of
America's public schools have benefited from the E-rate, which has
helped connect 30 million children and up to 47,000 schools and
libraries to the Internet. The percentage of public schools
connected to the Internet has increased from 35 percent in 1994 to
95 percent in 1999. The percentage of classrooms connected to the
Internet has increased from 3 percent in 1994 to 63 percent in
1999.
-- Increased Resources for Educational Technology by Over 3,000
Percent. President Clinton and Vice President Gore increased our
investment in educational technology by over 3,000 percent, from
$23 million in FY 1994 to $769 million in FY 2000, including
training over 600,000 new teachers to use technology effectively in
the classroom.
-- Paved the Way for Electronic Commerce. President Clinton fought to
eliminate legal barriers to using electronic technology to form and
sign contracts, collect and store documents, and send and receive
notices and disclosures, while ensuring that consumers on-line have
the same protections that they have in the paper world. He signed
the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act on
June 30, 2000.
-- Creating Market Opportunities for Technology Firms. The
Clinton-Gore Administration adopted a market-led approach on
e-commerce, making spectrum available for digital wireless, and
reforming Cold War export controls.
-- Worked to Close the Digital Divide. Since 1992, the President and
Vice President have tripled funding for Community Technology
Centers, which provide access to computers and the Internet to
low-income urban and rural neighborhoods. President Clinton also
challenged the private sector to develop new business models for
low-cost computers and Internet access to make universal access at
home affordable for all Americans. The Technology Literacy
Challenge Fund has provided $1 billion in federal resources to help
schools work with businesses and community organizations to put
modern computers, high-quality educational software, and affordable
connections to the Internet in every classroom. The Taxpayer
Relief Act of 1997 created a temporary tax deduction for donations
of computers to elementary and secondary schools.
-- Forged Trade Agreements on High Technology. The Clinton
Administration completed series of trade agreements on technology,
including the WTO's commitment to duty-free cyberspace, keeping the
Internet free of trade barriers, in 1998; the global WTO agreements
on Financial Services and Basic Telecommunications in 1997; the
global WTO agreement on Information Technology in 1996; and a
series of bilateral agreements on intellectual property, high-tech
products, services and other sectors; all soon to be capped by the
opening of a major networked economy initiative.
Investing in Educating and Training the American People
President Clinton's Record on Investing in Americans: -- More Americans Are Enrolling in College: 66 percent of 1998 high
school graduates enrolled in college or trade school the next fall,
compared to 60 percent in 1990.
-- More High School Students Are Preparing for College: The percentage
of high school graduates who have taken four years of English and
three years each of math, science, and social studies increased
from 38 percent to 55 percent between 1990 and 1998. Research
shows that high-quality academics in high school is key to college
success.
-- More Americans Are Earning College Degrees: Over 32 percent of 25-
to 29-year-old high school graduates had earned at least a
bachelor's degree in 1999, up from 27 percent in 1990. In
particular, white and African American women have seen their
college opportunities grow.
-- Americans Are Becoming Lifelong Learners: 50 percent of adults
participated in formal learning in the year prior to a 1999 survey,
up from 38 percent in 1991.
To Provide Americans with More, Higher-Quality Education and Training,
President Clinton:
-- Created the College Tax Credits, the Largest Single Investment in
Higher Education since the G.I. Bill. A $1,500 tax credit for the
first two years of college, the Hope Scholarship will pay for
nearly all of a typical community college's tuition and fees. The
$1,000 Lifetime Learning Tax Credit reimburses families for 20
percent of their tuition and fees (up to $5,000 per family) for
college, graduate study, or job training. Starting in 2003, the
credit will reimburse families for 20 percent of their costs up to
$10,000, for a maximum value of $2,000. This year, 10 million
American families will save over $7 billion through the college tax
credits.
-- Doubled Student Financial Aid. Students will receive over $50
billion in federal grants, loans, and work-study aid this year, up
from $25 billion in 1993. President Clinton has consistently
supported budget increases for Pell Grants; this year, over 3.8
million needy students receive a Pell Grant scholarship of up to
$3,300, a $1,000 larger maximum grant than in 1993. The President
won another increase for Pell Grants in the FY 2001 budget,
bringing the maximum grant to $3,750. The President also won
increases in work-study funding to help one million students pay
for college.
-- Created Direct Student Loans and Reduced Interest Rates. In the
Student Loan Reform Act of 1993, President Clinton won the Direct
Student Loan program to improve customer service and compete with
guaranteed lenders. It has saved taxpayers over $4 billion so far
by eliminating lender subsidies. President Clinton also fought to
reduce interest rates and fees in the Student Loan Reform Act of
1993 and the Higher Education Amendments of 1998. As a result,
students can expect to pay $1,300 less in interest and fees for the
average $10,000 loan than they would have in 1992. The student
loan default rate is now 6.9 percent, down from 22.4 percent eight
years ago.
-- Created New Paths to College through GEAR UP, AmeriCorps, and TRIO.
President Clinton won the new GEAR UP initiative in the Higher
Education Amendments of 1998 which is already helping 700,000
low-income middle school students prepare for college. Over
150,000 Americans have earned money for college while serving their
communities through President Clinton's AmeriCorps program, a
campaign promise enacted in 1993. To help disadvantaged youth
prepare for and succeed in college, the TRIO programs have grown by
$342 million over the past eight years.
-- Strengthened Elementary and Secondary Education. In 1994,
President Clinton reformed federal education initiatives in the
Improving America's Schools Act and the Goals 2000 Act. The
President's new approach was grounded in the principles that all of
America's students should meet high academic standards and the
federal government should make new investments to help them meet
those standards. The President has also fought to hire 100,000
teachers, promote educational technology, support charter schools,
build K-16 partnerships, and focus on early reading through America
Reads.
-- Passed the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. In 1992, President
Clinton and Vice President Gore proposed to streamline and bring
greater accountability to our nation's job training system. In
1998, they won legislation to meet the needs of both America's
workers and businesses by encouraging local control of training and
employment programs; helping customers locate assistance through
one-stop centers; and empower adults to receive the training they
need. Reducing Tax Burdens for Average and Hard-Pressed Working
Families.
The Clinton Record on Reducing Taxes for Working Families: -- Lowest Federal Income Tax Burden in 35 Years: Federal income taxes
as a percentage of income for the typical American family have
dropped to their lowest level in 35 years.
-- Higher Incomes even after Taxes and Inflation: Real after-tax
incomes have grown for Americans at all income levels, much faster
than they did prior to the Clinton-Gore Administration. Real
after-tax incomes grew by an average of 2.6 percent per year for
the lower-income half of taxpayers between 1993 and 1997, while
growing by an average of 1.0 percent between 1981 and 1993.
To Cut Taxes for Working Americans, President Clinton: -- Expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit. In 1993, President Clinton
succeeded in expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit, giving a tax
cut to 15 million of the hardest-pressed American workers. In
1999, the EITC lifted 4.1 million people out of poverty, nearly
double the number lifted out of poverty by the EITC in 1993.
-- Created the $500 per Child Tax Credit. In 1997, President Clinton
secured a $500 per child tax credit for 27 million families with
children under 17, including 13 million children from families with
incomes below $30,000.
-- Won the Hope Scholarship Tax Credit. President Clinton proposed tax
credits for college tuition in 1996 and signed them into law in
1997 as part of the balanced budget agreement. The Hope Scholarship
provides a tax credit of up to $1,500 for tuition and fees for the
first two years of college, roughly equal to the cost of the
average community college. It will save American families $4.9
billion this year.
-- Won the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit. Also enacted in 1997, the
Lifetime Learning tax credit provides a 20 percent tax credit on
$5,000 of tuition and fees (to be raised to $10,000 in 2003) for
college and graduate students and adults taking job training. It
will reduce the cost of college and job training for American
families by $2.4 billion this year.
-- Established Education IRAs. The 1997 balanced budget agreement also
created Education IRAs. For each child under age 18, families may
now deposit $500 per year into an Education IRA in the child's
name. Earnings in the Education IRA accumulate tax-free and no
taxes will be due upon withdrawal if the money is used to pay for
college. The law also allowed taxpayers to withdraw funds from a
traditional IRA without penalty to pay for higher education for
themselves or their spouse, child, or even grandchild.
-- Created Empowerment Zones. President Clinton created Empowerment
Zones and Enterprise Communities in 1993 and expanded them in 1994,
1997 and again in 2000 to spur economic growth in distressed
communities through tax incentives and federal investment. To
date, the 31 Empowerment Zones and 95 Enterprise Communities have
leveraged over $10 billion in new private sector investment,
creating thousands of new jobs for local residents.
-- Simplified Pension Rules. In 1996, President Clinton signed the
SIMPLE (Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees) plan into law,
simplifying and expanding retirement plan coverage for small
businesses.
-- Simplified Tax Laws and Protected Taxpayer Rights. President
Clinton signed the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 to simplify the tax
laws and enhance taxpayers' rights. The law has saved families and
businesses millions of hours be simplifying and reducing paperwork,
such as allowing a tax exclusion for income from the sale of a
home.
-- Closed Tax Loopholes. To ensure that all taxpayers pay their fair
share, the Clinton Administration addressed the use and
proliferation of corporate tax shelters by proposing several
remedies to curb the growth of such shelters by increasing
disclosure of sheltering activities, increasing and strengthening
the substantial understatement penalty, codifying the
judicially-created economic substance doctrine, and providing
consequences to all parties involved in an abusive sheltering
transaction.
PRESIDENT CLINTON'S ECONOMIC POLICIES HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE
Trade Expands Opportunity for American Workers
"Harley-Davidson is growing rapidly, and sales to other countries is one reason why. President Clinton's efforts to open foreign markets have made a difference and helped create jobs at Harley-Davidson." -- Bobby Ramsey began working at the Harley-Davidson York plant in 1972 and is now responsible for inspecting all incoming motorcycle parts prior to the assembly process. Since 1995, Mr. Ramsey has also been his union's Chief Shop Steward, which entails handling all second step grievances of workers and helping represent his co-workers to management. U.S. exports of motorcycles and parts have grown by 15 percent a year from 1987 to 1998, reaching one-third of industry sales. Harley-Davidson will export 22 percent of the motorcycles produced in Mr. Ramsey's plant. By 2003, Harley-Davidson expects to double production from 1996 levels largely because of exports, creating new jobs for American workers.
"Kodak and its employees have experienced significant gains because of
NAFTA. The NAFTA has enabled Kodak to realize considerable tariff
savings and to make production decisions based on rational economic
grounds rather than on tariff considerations. For example, the
agreement has enabled Kodak to transfer a high-cost sensitizing
operation for color negative film from Mexico to Rochester, New York.
In all, NAFTA has been a win-win-win for Kodak's operations in Canada,
Mexico and the United States."
-- Dan Carp, President and CEO of the Eastman Kodak company, credits
NAFTA with Kodak's rapid growth in export sales. Eastman Kodak
manufactures high technology imaging products for sale in 160 countries.
Under NAFTA, Mexican duties on film and photo paper have been reduced
from 15 to 30 percent to 6 to 9 percent, and they will be eliminated by
2004. Kodak's exports to Mexico have more than doubled since 1993,
creating greater stability and more job opportunities for Kodak's 54,000
employees.
Making the Dream of Homeownership a Reality
"I feel true independence in owning my own home. To those who think it's impossible: It is possible. Don't let anyone talk you out of it." -- Lucy Vocu, a teacher and single mother. Lucy Vocu has lived on the Pine Ridge reservation all her life. In 1985, Lucy got her GED, and in 1994, she graduated from Oglala Lakota College with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. She currently works for the Shannon County school system at Wolf Creek School. Her children, Grace, 15, and Jacob, 7, spend a lot of time using their computer. Jacob recently tracked tornadoes on the Internet. Lucy is a first-time homeowner. She moved from a two-bedroom rental house into this new three-bedroom home, which offers more privacy. Lucy is excited about being a new homeowner and, if her budget allows, she hopes to add to her new home a swing set for Jacob and a basketball net for Grace.
"The social workers at Marion House, which has received funding from
HUD's homeless grants, helped me get back on my feet. They counseled me
on how to find a job and helped me learn the skills I would need to stay
employed. Today I am newly married, and I have been working the last
four years as a secretary for a social service agency. And I am
delighted to say . . . I am a homeowner. Because of your leadership
President Clinton, and because of your commitment to providing funding
for homeless programs across the country, there will be hope and
optimism in place of despair."
-- Christa Spangler, of Baltimore, MD, December 23, 1998. Christa
Spangler was a formerly homeless woman who hit rock bottom in 1994 when
she was forced to live in her car. Previously, she had lost custody of
her children, and spent eleven years in and out of halfway houses, rehab
clinics, and hospitals. She found her way to Marion House, a Catholic
transitional housing program for homeless women and children. Christa
is now married, working as a receptionist and living in her own home.
Federal resources pay 25 percent of the Marion House budget.
Empowerment Zones Are a Potent Weapon Against Poverty
"I am living proof that the Empowerment Zone works! If it wasn't for the Empowerment Zone, I would have never have had the chance to buy this building or to expand my business. We are fighting the war against poverty throughout our neighborhoods and cities, but we have a very potent weapon -- the Empowerment Zones. And we will use that weapon to win this war because, after all, our future and our children's future depends on it. We must never give up hope." -- Nancy Santana, 37, is a single mother of three who lives in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She used resources and a loan she obtained through her local Empowerment Zone to move from welfare to start her own business, Nancy Santana's Cleaning and Maintenance Services. Four years later, her business employs over 25 people, many of whom she recruited off of welfare.
Community Development Financial Institutions Expand Economic Opportunity
"President Clinton's efforts have been very helpful to me. I had
trouble getting funding from other sources. The Enterprise Corporation
of the Delta has worked with me and people in my community, helping us
improve our position in life. Now, I can get into this business, where
otherwise I could not have."
-- Ephron Lewis co-founded Lewis & Sons Rice Processing -- the only
African-American-owned rice processing company in the country -- with
his father. The construction of his plant was made possible by a loan
and technical assistance from the Enterprise Corporation of the Delta, a
community development financial institution supported by the Department
of Housing and Urban Development. He now farms roughly 3,000 acres,
producing rice, wheat and soybeans.
Encouraging the Growth of Small Businesses
"I started my small consulting and legal firm with the principle that
everyone should have a shot at the twin American dreams of owning your
own business and owning your own home. I look for the dreamers, the
ones who want to be a part of this country in the best way, but who
don't have the tools and information they need. I hope to be an
instrument of growth and change in Brooklyn's Latino community through
increased business opportunities. This SBA loan will allow me to set up
an office outside my home, close to where I can make the most of the
services I have to offer."
-- Enealia Nau, Small Business Owner from Brooklyn, NY. Enealia Nau is
a first-generation American who operates a small business consulting
firm from her home in Brooklyn. After putting herself through college
and law school, Ms. Nau started her consulting firm that focuses on the
legal and financial needs of the minority communities from which she
draws her clients. Ms. Nau helps families from minority communities
realize the American dream through starting their own businesses -- from
beauty shops to corner stores -- and buying their first homes. She has
seen many clients start from nothing and build prosperous lives for
their families through small businesses, including one client who
started with a small "bodega" and now owns one of the largest grocery
stores in Brooklyn.
Expanding Economic Opportunity by Closing the Digital Divide
"Bridging the technology gap in Indian Country is a major challenge, and I am grateful for the attention that the Clinton Administration has given to this critical issue. The National Congress of American Indians is building on the initiatives announced during the President's Digital Divide tour stop at the Navajo Nation in April 2000 through its Tribal Leaders Digital Divide Task Force, funded through the AOL Foundation. Through the Task Force, we are actively working with industry, federal officials, and others to forge a new tribal-based partnerships and policy recommendations to close the technology gap." -- Susan Masten, President, National Congress of American Indians, and Chairwoman, Yurok Tribe. Susan Masten has served as a strong advocate for the betterment of Native communities on a local, state and national level for 22 years.
"Community technology centers provide low-income individuals with skills
training and the ability to produce their dreams. They are also an
important entryway to the technology industry. We think of President
Clinton as our first angel investor; his Administration's work has been
fundamental to Plugged In and to the community technology center
movement."
-- Magda Escobar, Executive Director, Plugged In, East Palo Alto,
California. East Palo Alto, a low-income community, is located in
Silicon Valley, the epicenter of the technological revolution. Plugged
In trains teenagers and employs them in a web design business; provides
a creative arts and technology studio and after-school program; and
provides community members with access to computers and
telecommunications equipment to increase their employment opportunities.
The Clinton Presidency:
Strengthening American Families
In 1992, the economy was stagnant. Middle class families were working harder for less money. Unemployment reached 7.5 percent, the highest level in 8 years, with record layoffs doubling or tripling unemployment rates in many communities. Family wages lost ground to inflation between 1988-92, yet the federal government failed to move to create jobs, raise wages, and put America back to work. New jobs were being created at the slowest rate in decades. Because losing a job meant losing the family's health insurance, middle class families could lose their savings, their homes or become trapped in a broken welfare system trying to cover health costs.
Moving Families from Welfare to Work
THEN: Families became trapped in a broken welfare system.
In 1992 a broken welfare system made it virtually impossible
to move from welfare back to work, trapping families in a cycle of
dependency. There were 13.6 million people on welfare when
President Clinton came to office -- 5.5 percent of the population.
Just seven percent of those on welfare were working. And the
federal government was doing little to encourage parental
responsibility. For example, only $8 billion in child support was
collected through federal and state efforts, and teen birth rates
were increasing dramatically.
NOW: More families than ever move from welfare to work.
The landmark welfare reform signed by President Clinton in
1996 has transformed the welfare system to one that promotes work
and responsibility, while protecting children.
-- Under the Clinton-Gore Administration, the welfare rolls have
been cut by nearly 60 percent to the lowest level since 1968,
dropping to 5.8 million people or 2.1 percent of the
population. Today, most recipients are expected to work,
millions of parents have left welfare for jobs, and a record
33 percent of current welfare recipients are now working --
five times as many as in 1992.
-- The President launched The Welfare to Work Partnership to
lead the private sector effort to hire people from the
welfare rolls. Now over 20,000 businesses strong, the
Partnership has helped an estimated 1.1 million welfare
recipients move to employment.
-- Under Vice President Gore's leadership, the Administration
has also done its fair share, hiring nearly 50,000 welfare
recipients since March 1997 and fostering partnerships with
community and faith-based organizations that help families
move from welfare to work and succeed on the job.
-- The Administration has put in place tough child support
enforcement measures to hold absent parents accountable,
while helping low income fathers go to work and meet their
responsibilities and federal and state child support
collections doubled to nearly $16 billion in 1999.
-- To help families make the transition from welfare to work and
support low-income working families, the Clinton-Gore
Administration provided nearly 200,000 new housing vouchers,
helped families meet their nutritional needs, improved
transportation options through grants to communities and made
it easier for families to own a reliable car without losing
food stamps, and invested in child care.
Welfare to Work is Helping Americans Build Better Lives
"I have made a better life for my girls and myself. Just because a person was on welfare, doesn't mean that they can't get out and work. They just need a chance and because of the President's leadership on this issue, I'm living proof that it can be done."
The Welfare to Work Partnership is Mobilizing the Private Sector to
Provide Job Opportunities for Welfare Recipients
"As one of the founding members of the Welfare to Work Partnership, I knew welfare reform was not going to work unless there were jobs in the private sector open to people leaving welfare. I also knew that United needed to set an example, so we set a goal of hiring 2,000 people from welfare by 2000. Our company has now exceeded that goal, because the President understood how to encourage, cajole, and continually challenge the private sector to step up to the plate and do their part. Through the Welfare to Work Partnership, I believe the President achieved the single most comprehensive mobilization of the private sector in peacetime -- over 20,000 companies have now hired over 1 million people who are leaving welfare and taking the first step toward the American dream."
Promoting Responsible Fatherhood
"With the help of this [fatherhood] program I am proud to say that I am on my way to a rewarding career in electronics technology and computer science, and am again paying my child support regularly. I know that Ricardo is proud of me, and I am glad that I can be a good role model for him... I want to thank the President for supporting fathers and programs for fathers like the one I am involved in."
Helping American Workers with Transportation
"Because of my new, reliable car, I now will be able to get to and
maintain a full-time job...I know that this car will be very helpful in
reaching my goal of leaving public assistance and supporting my family
on my own... I am glad the President understands how important it is for
people like me to have reliable transportation as they are working to
support their families."
-- Michael Alexander, of Westfield, New York. Michael is a 25-year-old
single father of two. He lives in an area with very limited public
transportation and since he did not own a car, it had been very
difficult for him to maintain steady employment. Through the help of a
federally-funded, county run program, EARNA CAR, he attended classes
about car maintenance, helped repair a donated car, worked out a
manageable loan payment with the help of a local bank, and was able to
purchase a used vehicle. Since he bought the car, Mr. Alexander has
been able to secure full-time employment and moved from welfare to work.
Helping Families Succeed on the Job And At Home
THEN: Working families forced to make choices between succeeding at
work and at home.
Working families faced special problems in attempting to
succeed at home and on the job. The Family and Medical Leave Act
had been vetoed twice, denying parents 12 weeks of leave to care
for a newborn child or sick family member. Paychecks of working
families continued to lose pace to inflation, dropping 4.3 percent
in real value. Quality child care for working families was
increasingly difficult to find and afford, and federal assistance
served a small fraction of those who needed help.
NOW: Families receive help making ends meet and caring for their
families.
President Clinton has kept his promise to make it easier for
families that work hard and play by the rules to make ends meet and
care for their children.
-- President Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act in
1993 -- the first law he signed as President. Today, more
than 20 million Americans have taken unpaid leave to care for
a newborn child or sick family member.
-- To help hard-pressed working families, President Clinton
passed a $500 per child tax credit, a $1 per hour increase in
the minimum wage, and provided tax cuts for 15 million
working families by expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit,
which provides the average family receiving the EITC with
$1,000 per year.
-- The Clinton-Gore Administration has significantly expanded
child care opportunities for working families. They have
more than doubled funding for federal child care, which will
provides assistance to 2.2 million families next year. The
welfare reform law signed by President Clinton provided an
additional $4 billion over six years, more than had ever been
spent before, in child care assistance to families moving
from welfare to work and other low-income families. The
Administration has also provided after-school opportunities
to approximately 850,000 children so that more parents know
that their children are in safe learning environment during
the after-school hours, and this year's budget agreement will
expand after-school programs to serve 1.3 million children.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore have nearly doubled
funding for the Head Start program, expanded the program to
more than 160,000 additional children, enacted critical
quality improvements, and created the Early Start program
targeted to development of younger children. In 2001, Head
Start will serve approximately 935,000 children.
-- The President fought for and signed new legislation giving
parents new tools to protect their children from media
violence by requiring the installation of anti-violence
screening chips (V-chips) in all new televisions. The
President also worked with the entertainment industry to
create a new ratings system for television programs and the
computer industry to establish ratings for video games.
-- The Clinton-Gore Administration also took on the tobacco
industry by developing the first-ever plan to protect our
children from tobacco, and calling on Congress to affirm the
FDA's authority to implement this plan.
-- President Clinton signed the Foster Care Independence Act.
This law is designed to help the 20,000 young people who
leave foster care each year when they reach age 18 without an
adoptive family or other guardian. It ensures that these
young people will get the tools they need to make the most of
their lives by providing them better educational
opportunities, access to health care, training, housing
assistance, counseling, and other services.
Family And Medical Leave Act Helps Working Parents Succeed at Home
"There are no precise words to describe what the FMLA meant to our family . . . Without this law, our family could never have made the precious memories that we now hold so dear." -- Kenny Weaver, Father. In 1993, Mr. Weaver learned that a rare, incurable cancer afflicting his 11-year-old daughter, Melissa, was worsening. At Melissa's doctor's urging, he immediately asked his supervisors for 12 weeks of family leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. For the next seven weeks, Mr. Weaver and his wife spent every moment they could with Melissa and her two younger sisters. They traveled to Chicago to see relatives. They visited the Museum of Science and Industry. And, through the efforts of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, they toured the White House and met with President Clinton. Melissa died six days later, on October 2, 1993. Kenny Weaver says that without the Family and Medical Leave Act, he would have had to choose between the emotional needs of his oldest daughter and the economic needs of his two younger girls. But the law gave him the job security he needed to share in the last weeks of his daughter's life.
Targeted Tax Cuts Helping Hard-Pressed Working Families
"With the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit we were able
to pay off our debts, so we could afford the mortgage payments to buy a
home and we bought a used van that we fixed up. The EITC was worth a
mortgage payment for a month. That was a boost that my husband and I
really appreciated. It kind of rewarded the hard work he put in, just
when we really needed it."
-- Jessica Cupp, Thurmont, Maryland, is a married mother of 2-year-old
triplet girls. The Cupp triplets were born 26 weeks into Jessica's
pregnancy at very low birth weights and with several medical problems.
Jessica was forced to give up her work at a childcare center in order to
care for her own three children. The Cupp family received Earned Income
Tax Credit refunds as well as child tax credits in 1998 and 1999 that
they would not have received had it not been for the 1993 EITC expansion
and the new child tax credit. This money has helped the family to pay
off debt accrued when the triplets were born, to move into a home more
suited for raising 3 children, to trade in their 2-door vehicle for a
van, and has allowed Jessica to stay home and care for their three
growing daughters.
Providing Opportunities to Foster Care Children
"I have several younger foster siblings still at home... I have lots of
hope for their future -- and even more now with the passage of this
bill. I have no doubt that this action will have a positive effect on
the thousands of foster youth who leave care each year -- unable to
return to their families... I really hope that this bill will make the
training and experience that I had, possible for all youth in foster
care around the United States... [President Clinton's] work in passing
this bill has made these things more possible. You did the right
thing!"
-- Kristi Jo Frazier, Cincinnati, Ohio. Kristi Jo is a former foster
child who is studying education at Cincinnati State and Technical
College. She now lives on her own after successfully transitioning from
foster care in July 1998 into independent living.
Expanding Access to Quality Health Care
THEN: Cost and other barriers keep millions uninsured.
Millions of children could not access affordable and
meaningful health insurance, people with disabilities who wanted to
work could not for fear of losing their health insurance, and young
people leaving foster care could not retain the critical health
insurance they needed to make a healthy start as adults. Unlike
many other American workers, self-employed Americans received
absolutely no tax assistance in purchasing health care insurance.
Every year, an estimated 25 million Americans had breaks in their
health care coverage because they changed jobs, or were self
employed, or had preexisting conditions that could lead an
insurance company to deny coverage.
NOW: Reform expands access for millions of Americans.
More than 2.5 million children have received health insurance
as a result of the enactment of the historic State Children's
Health Insurance Program in 1997 -- the largest expansion of health
insurance for children since the creation of the Medicaid program.
The President has also enacted coverage expansions for people with
disabilities who wish to return to work and for the 20,000 foster
care children aging out of Medicaid eligibility every year. The
President's enactment of the bipartisan Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act gave Americans insurance
portability protections when they switch or lose jobs. The
President has also enacted legislation that assures that: annual
and lifetime coverage limits can be no different for mental health
coverage than other benefits; new mothers can stay in the hospital;
drive-through mastectomies are eliminated; and genetic
discrimination against many Americans purchasing health insurance
is prohibited.'
More Children Have Access to Health Care
Thanks to the Children's Health Insurance Program
"When we found the Healthy Families program, it was like a miracle. Now my kids have a regular doctor who knows our family. I don't have to worry about taking them in for their school physicals or for their vaccinations. They can run around and climb on things and jump off things and the only thing I really need to worry about is if they get their clothes dirty. Because of the Healthy Families program, my husband and I can make sure that our kids grow up healthy."
Allowing Americans with Disabilities to Return to Work
Without Fear of Losing Insurance Coverage
"We have been waiting for so long to see this bill signed -- to watch as this Administration... opens the door to employment for individuals with disabilities all over America."
Progress for Working Families
The Clinton Presidency:
Expanding Education Opportunity
President Clinton and Vice President Gore have made improving education a cornerstone of their Administration, working to ensure that all Americans have the educational opportunities necessary to succeed in today's global information economy. Through their leadership, the President and Vice President have helped raise expectations for all students, supported states in developing and putting in place rigorous standards and systems of assessment and accountability, and invested in proven strategies to improve the educational performance of all students. President Clinton and Vice President Gore's commitment to invest more in our schools while also demanding more from them more has led to remarkable progress in key areas such as implementing standards and accountability, improving student performance, closing the achievement gap, expanding access to technology, and making higher education more affordable.
Raising Standards and Holding Schools Accountable for Results
THEN: Falling test scores and low expectations.
In 1992, test scores were falling and only 14 states had
standards in core subjects. In 1990, only 38 percent of graduating
high schools seniors had taken a core curriculum of four years of
English and three years each of Math, Science and Social Studies.
Fewer than 80 percent of the nation's highest-poverty schools
received Title I funds, which are intended to aid the most
disadvantaged schools. And students in many disadvantaged schools
faced watered-down curricula and low expectations instead of high
standards that challenged them to succeed.
NOW: High standards, accountability and rising test scores.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore launched an era of
education reform based on setting high standards for all schools
and students and providing the support to meet them. Higher
standards have begun to pay off for America's students. Since
1992, reading and math scores on the National Assessment of
Educational Progress have increased for 4th, 8th, and 12th graders,
including those students in the highest poverty schools. Math SAT
scores are at a 30-year high.
-- President Clinton and Vice President Gore enacted Goals 2000
which has helped States establish standards of excellence for
all children, and implement steps to meet those standards and
to raise educational achievement. Under the Clinton-Gore
Administration, 49 states have implemented standards in core
subjects and the proportion of graduating high schools
seniors completing a core curriculum has risen to 55 percent.
-- The President enacted legislation targeting Title I funds to
high-poverty schools and requiring States and school
districts to turn around low-performing schools. Today,
nearly all of the nation's highest-poverty schools receive
Title I funds. In 1999, the President enacted a new $134
million Accountability Fund, which is helping school
districts improve low-performing schools by investing in
proven reforms. Next year's budget increases this fund to
$225 million.
-- The Clinton-Gore Administration has worked to expand public
school choice and to support the growth of public charter
schools. In 1993, there was one charter school in the
nation; today, there are more than 2,000.
-- President Clinton fought for a won a new initiative to repair
America's schools, providing $1.2 billion for urgent school
renovation. The 2001 budget also provides much-needed repair
funds to Native American schools.
Clinton-Gore Reforms Are Improving America's Schools
"Over the last eight years, President Clinton has proven a friend to
education. Increased funding for critical investments, such as teacher
development, greater resources and reduced class sizes, are just several
contributions. Because of new investments in teacher quality, the staff
at my school received intensive professional development in reading
instruction that led to more effective teaching and improved test scores
in all subjects. Additionally, our children now have access to the
Internet in all of our classrooms, and our class sizes are decreasing
from 25 to 18, allowing teachers to spend more time on individualized
instruction and encouragement."
-- Ruth Summerlin, Principal, Bascomb Elementary School, Woodstock,
Georgia. Ruth Summerlin was the Principal at Beaufort Elementary School
in Beaufort, South Carolina for seven years before moving to Georgia.
Beaufort Elementary serves a predominantly low-income population of 573
students in grades Pre-K through 5, and six years ago was classified as
one of the worst 200 schools in South Carolina. After implementing a
five-year school improvement plan, Beaufort Elementary has now been
named a Blue Ribbon School. Test scores for the 1998-99 academic year
indicated that their students were above the district and state averages
in both reading and math. Beaufort has both after-school and summer
school programs for remediation in both reading and math.
Administration's Efforts Produce Dramatic Charter School Expansion "The charter school movement is one of the Administration's most important legacies. Its support for charter schools as a desirable and effective form of public school choice has helped convince millions of people, from State legislators to civil rights legend Rosa Parks to Arizona's teacher of the year Karen Butterfield, that the charter movement has great value. . . . The dramatic expansion of charter schools from one State and one school to 36 States and 1,700 schools is a direct result of the Administration's vigorous efforts." -- Joe Nathan, Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Social Change, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
Improving the Quality of Education with High Quality Teachers
THEN: High class size and low investment in teacher quality.
Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, the federal government
cut and continuously underfunded assistance for teacher recruitment
and training, setting the stage for anemic investments in this
priority for years to come. Large class sizes made it difficult
for teachers to maintain order or give students the personal
attention they need to ensure they learn the basics. In 1992, fewer
than 80 percent of English and Math teachers had a college major or
minor in their teaching field, and only 282 teachers were certified
as National Board Teachers as recently as 1995.
NOW: Helping communities hire 100,000 quality teachers to reduce
class size.
The Clinton-Gore Administration has made the recruitment,
preparation, and training of high-quality teachers a priority, and
investments in these programs have increased more than ten-fold
since the 1980s. President Clinton and Vice President Gore
proposed and enacted the Class Size Reduction Initiative, which is
helping communities hire 100,000 qualified teachers to reduce class
size in the early grades. They created Troops to Teachers in 1994
to help improve public school education by introducing the skills
and experience of military service members into high-poverty
schools. They won $567 million for teacher quality initiatives in
the FY 2001 budget, investing in teacher development, recruitment,
and retention, expanding Troops to Teachers to other mid-career
professionals; and training early childhood educators. Thanks in
part to the Clinton-Gore Administration's support of the National
Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the number of National
Board Teachers has climbed to 4,804 in 1999. And in 1999, 86
percent of English teachers and 82 percent of Math teachers had a
major or minor in their teaching field.
Clinton-Gore Reforms Are Improving America's Schools
"I have seen many education initiatives come and go over my 20 years of
teaching but I have only a strong opinion on one. Anyone who teaches or
mentors a child wishes they had more time to impact their life. We
however cannot alter the laws of the universe and create more hours in
the day. The simple and doable solution for making this extra time is
President Clinton's class-size reduction initiative. Because we have
more teachers teaching reading we have more time with the students each
years. I have taught grades 1-5 but because of President Clinton's
vision, I am now a reading initiative teacher. I can now work with
staff and students at a variety of ages and ability levels to meet the
goals of our reading program. The President's initiative has made it
possible to create classrooms of 15 students or less at our school to
ensure success for every student. My students will learn better this
year because I have more time to spend with them and I will have more
time thanks to President Clinton."
-- Robin Davis, Elementary School Teacher. Robin Davis is a reading
teacher at Brooke Grove Elementary Olney, Maryland. She was hired with
funds from the President's class size reduction initiative.
Expanding Access to Technology in Schools
THEN: Educational technology a low priority.
A decade ago, computers were largely luxuries found only in
the most affluent school districts. In 1993, only three percent of
classrooms had computers that were connected to the Internet, and
in 1994 only 35 percent of public schools had Internet access.
Students had little opportunity to learn to use computers and to
explore the Internet, and the government had not mobilized its
resources to expand the use of technology in our schools.
NOW: Historic investments in educational technology lead to 95
percent of public schools connected to the Internet.
Understanding the critical importance of incorporating
technology into the classroom and ensuring equal opportunity for
students to benefit from technology, the Clinton-Gore
Administration made increasing access to technology in our schools
a top priority. President Clinton and Vice President Gore created
the E-rate and the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund to help
connect every school to the Internet, increase the number of
multimedia computers in the classroom and provide technology
training for teachers. In addition, with the Vice President's
leadership the E-rate has secured low-cost connections to the
Internet for libraries, rural health clinics and hospitals,
providing discounts worth over $2 billion annually. The number of
classrooms connected to the Internet increased to 65 percent in
1999, while the number of public schools connected rose to more
than 95 percent. President Clinton and Vice President Gore
increased our investment in educational technology by over 3,600
percent -- from $23 million in FY 1993 to $872 million in FY 2001.
Education Technology Connects Students to New Opportunities
"The Internet allowed my students to go to a place and learn about
something they could never have done before. The Internet erases
boundaries of age and class. Everyone can access it in an equal way. In
Paradise, this is especially important because of the limitations some
of these children face."
-- Beth Paterson, fourth-grade teacher at Paradise Elementary,
California. Paradise Elementary is a part of the Paradise Unified
School District, which serves Paradise and Magalia, an isolated and
rural community in the foothills of California's Sierra Nevada Mountains
with a significant low-income population. The E-Rate has allowed
Paradise to build $300,000 of network infrastructure, network computers
and install T-1 lines.
Keeping Young People on the Path to Success
THEN: Too few students aim high, graduate from high school and
attend college.
In 1992, achievement for low-income high school students was
lower than that of the national norm. Just 62 percent of high
school graduates -- and only 44 percent of low-income high school
graduates -- went on to college.
NOW: College preparation efforts and college-going rates increase
President Clinton and Vice President Gore have invested in our
young people to keep them in school and on the path to a successful
future. President Clinton created GEAR UP, a nationwide college
preparation and mentoring initiative, to provide early, sustained
intervention and extra financial help to disadvantaged students.
Now GEAR UP is helping 700,000 low-income middle school children
finish school and prepare for college academically and financially;
with increases included in the FY 2001 budget, the program will
help 2.1 million students. Funding for the TRIO programs to help
disadvantaged youth prepare for college has increased by $342
million. President Clinton has also increased investments in after
school programs, which have provided enriching after school and
summer school opportunities for 850,000 school-age children in
rural and urban communities and will serve 1.3 million children
nationwide with increases in this year's budget. In addition, the
$15 million Advanced Placement Incentive initiative encourages
low-income students to take AP classes and tests by paying test
fees and strengthening instruction. The AP Initiative has already
helped over 100,000 students. In 1998, the number of high school
graduates going on to college had increased to 66 percent; by 1997,
the number of low-income high school graduates going to college was
up to 51 percent.
GEAR UP Helps Students Aim High
"Now I know what it takes to fulfill my dream of becoming a teacher. I am more focused than ever and there's no stopping me now!"
After School Programs Provide Safe Learning Opportunities for Students
"Juvenile crime is down 70 percent in Carbon County, Utah, and we can thank the coordinated efforts of everyone. The after-school program plays a major part in keeping our kids off the streets and out of trouble."
21st Century Community Learning Centers Improve Student Achievement
"I truly believe that these extra curricular activities, made possible through the 21st CCLC grant, result in increased student achievement, greater self-esteem in students, and improved self-discipline. Thank you for making these opportunities possible for our students."
Opening the Doors of Higher Education to All Americans
THEN: Costs put college out of reach for too many students
With tuition costs skyrocketing, middle class families were
struggling to put their children through college. In 1992, only 43
percent of students benefited from federal student grants and
loans, and more than 22 percent of student loan borrowers defaulted
within two years of entering repayment. The maximum Pell Grant
award was $2,300, and its value had not kept up with inflation.
NOW: Largest expansion of college opportunity since the GI Bill
To open the doors of college to all Americans, the
Clinton-Gore Administration enacted the largest investment in
higher education since the GI Bill. President Clinton and Vice
President Gore created HOPE Scholarships and Lifetime Learning tax
credits, which were claimed in 1999 by an estimated 10 million
American families struggling to pay for college. Lower student
loan interest rates and fees have saved students over $9 billion;
the average $10,000 loan costs a student $1,300 less now than it
did in 1993. The student loan default rate has fallen for seven
straight years and is now a record-low 6.9 percent. President
Clinton expanded the Work-Study program and increased the Pell
Grant maximum award to $3,750 -- the highest amount ever. In 1999,
59 percent of students benefited from federal student grants and
loans.
HOPE Scholarships and Lifetime Learning Tax Credits
Expand Family College Opportunity
"My son is studying for a master's degree in chemistry, my daughter is a freshman at the University of Virginia, and I hope to return to school to finish my college degree in art history. It's hard to afford that much tuition, but the Hope Scholarship has made a real difference for my family. In combination with Virginia's public colleges and other financial aid, it's really a good picture."
Direct Student Loans Make College Affordable for Students
"I never regret taking out student loans. I am a teacher. I affect young minds every single day. But the reality is that I still have almost $40,000 in student loans. As a teacher, I don't make a lot of money. And I also need to help take care of my mother, who has had numerous surgeries and will undergo another this week, and support my brother. I appreciate the help I've gotten meeting my responsibility to repay loans, such as flexible payment plans and the economic hardship forbearance for temporary tough situations in repaying your student loans. President Clinton has also reduced student loan interest rates and made interest payments tax-deductible." -- Raquel Talley, 28-year-old substitute teacher in Prince George's County, Maryland credits student loans with allowing her to earn a college degree and enter a profession she loves. To earn her B.A. and M.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University, she borrowed a total of $45,000 in direct student loans and still owes about $38,000. Because she helps support her mother and 30-year-old brother (who has diabetes) on her modest teacher's salary, she has twice enrolled in forbearance and is now enrolled in the extended flexible repayment plan.
"I need to graduate from college to pursue my dream of a career in
information technology. That simply wouldn't be possible without
student loans."
-- Heather Ely, Junior at DePaul University. Heather is majoring in
computer information systems and hopes to pursue a career in the field
of information technology. Heather is financing her college education
largely on her own through both federal and private loans and a part
time job at a local restaurant.
Improving Education for All of America's Children
The Clinton Presidency:
Lowest Crime Rates in a Generation
America's families and communities faced serious crime problems in 1992. More violent crimes were reported in 1992 than ever before, with nearly two million murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults occurring in the United States. Gun crime had skyrocketed to the highest point in 20 years with more than half a million total gun crimes reported. Parents fought a daily battle to keep their children away from drugs and gangs, as more young people than ever were involved in violent crimes. In 1992 alone, more than 850,000 children were victims of violent crime, and guns killed 5,379 children -- an average of nearly fifteen every day. Communities struggled to fight crime, but the federal response remained bogged down in partisan differences.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore enacted policies that imposed tougher penalties and enforcement along with smart crime prevention measures, funded more than 100,000 new police officers on America's streets, provided the leadership to pass common sense gun safety legislation including the Brady Bill and assault weapons ban, and implemented a comprehensive anti-drug strategy.
Support for Proven Local Solutions: 100,000 Community Police Officers
THEN: Communities struggled to fight rising crime rates.
Between 1989 and 1992, violent crime rates increased by 13
percent. In 1992, there were nearly two million murders, rapes and
aggravated assaults reported. Cities including Houston, Boston and
New York brought down crime rates with community policing, but most
communities lacked the resources to hire and redeploy enough police
officers to fight and prevent crime.
NOW: 100,000 new community police funded along with record
investments in local law enforcement.
President Clinton fought for and signed a plan to help
communities across the country move to community policing by
funding the hiring and redeployment of 100,000 new police officers
over five years. The Clinton-Gore Administration's COPS
initiative, passed as part of the 1994 Crime Bill, has provided
more than 11,000 law enforcement agencies funding to hire or
redeploy more than 100,000 police officers. In 2000, President
Clinton won over $1 billion to help communities take the next step
and hire up to 50,000 more police officers by FY 2005. The federal
government has also made record investments helping local
authorities fight crime -- increasing funding for state and local
law enforcement by more than 300 percent since 1993. Overall crime
rates has dropped every year under President Clinton and Vice
President Gore, the longest continuous drop on record and crime is
now at a 26-year low.
Community Policing Initiative is Improving America's Neighborhoods
"By working in the same neighborhoods day-in, day-out, we developed real ties to the community. We took real steps to fix problems in neighborhoods. We formed partnerships. We problem solved. We prevented crime... COPS money makes this possible... Thank you, Mr. President, for making it possible to fulfill my dream. Thank you for making it possible to return our police to their communities. Thank you for being the first president to take the police truly seriously, to listen to us, and to give us the tools we need to keep our people safe." -- Corporal Irma Rivera, Arlington County Police Department, Arlington, Virginia. Corporal Rivera has been with the Arlington County Police Department since April 1992. Due to a COPS grant, she was able to join the Community Based/Problem-Oriented Policing Section, which worked to rid Arlington neighborhoods of gang and drug-related crime.
Common-Sense Gun Safety Laws: the Brady Act and the Assault Weapons Ban
THEN: Gun violence reaches record levels.
Gun violence reached its highest point in 20 years; a record
565,000 Americans were victims of gun crime in 1992. Murders by
juveniles increased by 65 percent between 1987 and 1993, reaching
the highest level ever in 1993. In 1992, an average of nearly 15
children every day were killed by firearms through violence,
accidents or suicides.
NOW: Common sense gun safety laws bring down gun crime by 40
percent.
President Clinton fought the gun lobby and won common sense
gun safety laws including the Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons
Ban. Under the Clinton-Gore Administration, overall gun crime has
declined 40 percent, and firearms related homicides committed by
juveniles have dropped by nearly 50 percent. There were 227,000
fewer gun crimes in 1999 than 1992, and 1,246 fewer children were
killed by guns than in 1992.
-- Background checks performed under the Brady Law have
prevented more than 611,000 felons, fugitives and domestic
abusers from buying a gun.
-- The Assault Weapons Ban, passed as part of the 1994 Crime
Bill, banned the manufacture, sale and importation of 19 of
the deadliest assault weapons.
-- The Clinton-Gore Administration has worked with state and
local governments to increase prosecution of gun crime.
Since 1992, the number of federal firearms cases has
increased 16 percent, and as a result of this
Administration's unprecedented partnership with states and
localities, overall gun prosecutions - federal, state, and
local combined -- are up 22 percent. In addition, federal
gun offenders are serving sentences that are about two years
longer than in 1992 and the number of serious gun offenders
sent to federal prison for more than five years is up more
than 41 percent.
-- Clinton-Gore Administration U.S. Attorneys in Richmond
(Project Exile) and Boston (Operation Ceasefire) were
instrumental in innovative efforts to crack down on armed
drug traffickers, violent criminals, gang members and violent
youth which has helped to reduce crime in these cities. The
Clinton-Gore Administration has also implemented a
comprehensive crime gun tracing initiative -- the Youth Crime
Gun Interdiction Initiative -- in 38 cities to trace crime
guns and identify and arrest illegal gun traffickers.
-- Finally, to combat violence in schools, the Clinton-Gore
Administration enacted the Gun Free Schools Act, which
requires schools to adopt zero-tolerance policies toward guns
in schools and expel students bringing firearms to school.
Over the 1996-98 school years, nearly 10,000 students were
expelled from public schools for bringing a firearm to
school.
Common-Sense Gun Safety Laws Are Making America Safer
"President Clinton, you and your administration have helped make this
country safer through your support for the Brady law and the 1994 crime
bill and your persistence in pursuing common-sense laws and strategies
to reduce gun violence."
-- James Brady, February 11, 2000. James S. Brady was shot along with
President Reagan and two law enforcement officers in an assassination
attempt in 1981. Although seriously wounded by the gunshot wound to the
head, Mr. Brady has actively lobbied for stronger gun laws.
"If my son Scott had not been shot by a classmate with a grudge and an
assault weapon over ten years ago, I might likely be a grandmom today...
With the leadership and perseverance of President Clinton, we won the
fight to pass the Assault Weapons Ban, and have taken an important step
toward preventing countless other families from suffering the way my
family has."
-- Bryl Phillips-Taylor. Bryl Phillips-Taylor lost her son, Scott, the
summer before he was scheduled to enroll in college at Virginia Tech in
1989. Scott was killed by a fellow student who held a grudge against
him after luring him into the woods and shooting him six times with an
AK-47 assault rifle that he had taken from an unlocked gun storage shed.
Since then, Bryl has worked tirelessly to promote the passage of common
sense gun laws, including the successful passage of the 1994 Assault
Weapons Ban.
Strong Gun Enforcement Reduces Violent Crime
"Five short years ago, Richmond was known nationwide for our high crime and murder rates. Today, we've received national attention not for the problem, but for the solution. We've attacked crime from all fronts, and one of the most successful avenues has been through strong gun enforcement. President Clinton shares my philosophy that America needs to send a strong message to gun criminals that breaking gun laws will not be tolerated. That's why we worked with the Clinton Administration to create the nation's first "Project Exile" program, a partnership at the federal and local levels that has guaranteed that anyone caught with an illegal gun serves five years in federal prison. Project Exile is now being replicated across America by other communities, and gun prosecutions are up. Project Exile's success in getting tough on gun criminals is due in no small measure to our partnership and President Clinton's leadership in the fight to reduce crime and gun violence"
Tough and Smart Crime Fighting Policies: The 1994 Crime Bill
THEN: Political division blocks progress in fighting crime
While crime increased during the 1980s and early 1990s,
Washington bickered over false choices between punishment and
prevention. This political division blocked passage of a federal
crime bill for six years. When President Clinton took office, the
violent crime rate had skyrocketed to the highest point in 20
years, juvenile violence reached record levels, and gang and drug
violence were epidemic in many communities.
NOW: Tough and smart crime-fighting policies enacted
President Clinton launched a new approach to crime fighting
that emphasized both tough anti-crime measures like increased
prosecution, more prisons and stiffer penalties, as well as smart
prevention measures including expanding community policing, common
sense gun safety laws, increased drug treatment, and after-school
programs. The 1994 Crime Bill was a historic turning point in
federal anti-crime efforts, enacting the COPS program and banning
the importation of 19 of the most dangerous assault weapons. The
Crime Bill also contained:
-- Stiffer criminal penalties including a federal
"three-strikes-and-you're out" law and expansion of the death
penalty for killing a law enforcement officers and incentives
for states to adopt truth-in-sentencing for violent
offenders.
-- Drug courts to provide increased judicial supervision and
drug treatment for non-violent offenders and boot camps for
first-time young offenders.
-- Increased funding for prison construction, and anti-drug and
gang programs.
-- A new law making it illegal for juveniles to own handguns.
-- Registration of sexually violent offenders with state
officials upon release from prison.
-- The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which quadrupled
funding for battered women's shelters, increased resources to
prosecute domestic violence offenders, and established a
nationwide 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline.
Local Partnerships are Reducing Crime in Boston
"The Clinton Administration has been a key partner in all of our
efforts, whether it's been through major grants, consistent public
support for our collaborative efforts or deploying personnel from
federal agencies, such as BATF, DEA, FBI, INS and the US Attorney, to
work on task forces with us. We are very grateful for this
partnership."
-- Boston Police Commissioner Paul F. Evans, November 16, 2000. In the
early 1990's, Boston faced a surge in homicides, gang-related crime, and
youth violence. To address their crime problems, the Boston Police
Department forged working relationships with Mayor Thomas Menino; local
probation officers, parole officers and prosecutors; local, state and
federal agencies; and each of Boston's neighborhoods. As a result,
Boston has reached its lowest violent crime rate since 1971, the number
of homicides is at its lowest point since 1961 and every year since
1993, the number of juveniles killed by guns has decreased.
Violence Against Women Act Funding Supports
Domestic Violence Shelters and Services
"VAWA money that Esperanza has received in the past has assisted our program with victims in the court system. In fact, with VAWA funding, we were able to hire a court advocate who helps women obtain protection orders, helps them with security, and provides translation services. I am proud to say that our court advocate has helped about 1,500 women to date... President Clinton is a very strong advocate who cares and supports women everywhere. He is a person to be there to care when caring makes the difference between despair and hope." -- Connie R. Trujillo, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Connie Trujillo is a domestic violence survivor and the Executive Director of Esperanza, Shelter for Battered Families, one of the oldest battered women's shelters in the country. With Violence Against Women Act funding, Esperanza has been able to hire a court-based advocate to assist victims in obtaining orders of protection and in safety planning, and in one year, this advocate has assisted about 1,500 victims in court.
Successful Drug Control Strategy: Prevention, Treatment and Enforcement
THEN: Ineffective drug control strategy leaves drugs flowing and
addicts untreated
The nation suffered from an unbalanced and ineffective drug
control strategy that left more than a million addicted individuals
untreated, and failed to cut the supply of drugs to America's
communities. In 1992, there were 1,302 drug-related murders,
approximately 555 tons of cocaine flooded the streets, and 62
percent of those who needed drug treatment went untreated.
NOW: Balanced, effective anti-drug strategy
President Clinton placed a new emphasis on a balanced
anti-drug strategy. He elevated the Drug Czar to a cabinet-level
post, replaced political appointees with professionals and
appointed four-star General Barry McCaffrey as director of the
office -- the first person with a drug interdiction background to
hold the post. Funding for anti-drug efforts has increased by more
than 50 percent -- from $12.2 billion in 1993 to $18.5 billion in
2000.
-- Prevention funding has increased by one-third, including a
successful Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, the largest
targeted media effort ever to educate youth about the dangers
of drug use.
-- Treatment funding is up 33 percent, and the treatment gap has
closed by five percent. To break the cycle of drugs and
crime, President Clinton funded Drug Courts to provide
treatment for non-violent offenders and helped to expand the
number of Drug Courts from a dozen in 1994 to more than 400
in October 1999. The number of federal inmates receiving
substance abuse treatment rose from 1,135 in 1992 to 10,816
in 1999, and the Administration has encouraged states to
adopt comprehensive drug testing and intervention for
prisoners and parolees.
-- President Clinton has also stepped up interdiction and
enforcement efforts. The Administration has increased the
number of FBI, DEA, and Border Patrol Agents and is working
with allies to stop international cultivation and
trafficking. Seizures of cocaine, marijuana and
methamphetamine reached record levels in 1999. Drug-related
arrests and convictions also increased, with arrests up 46
percent and federal convictions rising by more than 20
percent.
Drug Courts Are Reducing Crime and Drug Abuse
"President Clinton's historic expansion of drug courts across our nation has played a vital role in our success in reducing crime and drug abuse in our communities. Drug Courts across the United States are resulting in increased sobriety and reduced criminality among drug using offenders. By demanding accountability, but also providing rehabilitative services to this drug using population, Drug Courts are creating safer and healthier communities, while reducing the numbers of offenders in custody and the financial costs to our communities." --Judge Jeffrey S. Tauber, President of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals and Director of the National Drug Court Institute. Judge Tauber initiated and presided over the design and implementation of the Oakland Drug Court Program, one of the first in the nation, and was also the first chair of the California Association of Drug Court Professionals.
Progress For America's Families and Communities in the Fight Against
Crime
The Clinton Presidency:
Improving the Nation's Health Care
From the first days of his Administration, President Clinton has worked to expand access to affordable, quality health care for all Americans. The President has strengthened the Medicare program, increased access and improved the quality of our nation's health care system. President Clinton's balanced approach to increasing access to quality health care has paid off for America, with the number of uninsured Americans declining for the first time in 12 years in 1999.
Strengthening and Modernizing Medicare
THEN: Medicare expected to run out of money in 1999.
Eight years ago, the Medicare Trust Fund was expected to run
out of money in 1999. Health care fraud was contributing to rising
costs and a shaky financial future for the Medicare program. The
President and Vice President succeeded in passing measures to
strengthen and modernize Medicare, crack down on fraud, and protect
the benefits of today's beneficiaries.
NOW: Medicare trust fund extended until 2025 with more options for
patient choice and preventive care.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore enacted the most
comprehensive Medicare reforms in history. They insisted on
provisions in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to protect, modernize
and extend the life of the Medicare Trust Fund, while offering new
options for patient choice and preventive care. The Balanced
Budget Act also provided an array of new weapons in our fight to
keep scam artists and fly-by-night health care out of Medicare and
Medicaid. President Clinton has assigned more federal prosecutors
and FBI agents to fight health care fraud than ever before. The
Clinton-Gore Administration's work has extended the life of the
Medicare Trust Fund until 2025.
Reforming the Insurance Market
THEN: Families lose coverage because of preexisting conditions and
lack of portability
In 1992, there were no Federal protections to ensure the
portability of health benefits for workers in between jobs or to
prevent discrimination based on health status. Every year, an
estimated 25 million Americans had breaks in their health care
coverage because they changed jobs, or were self employed, or had
preexisting conditions that could lead an insurance company to deny
coverage. A technological revolution presented new challenges in
safeguarding the privacy of Americans' medical records.
NOW: Insurance market reforms help working families keep their
insurance coverage
President Clinton and Vice President Gore took on these new
challenges and enacted critical reforms to the insurance market
that have helped millions of Americans keep their health insurance.
-- In 1996 President Clinton and Vice President Gore enacted the
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which
helps people keep health insurance when they change jobs,
guarantees renewability of coverage, and ensures access to
health insurance for small businesses.
-- The President enacted mental health parity provisions to help
eliminate discrimination against Americans with mental
illnesses, and instituted new protections for mothers and
their newborns and women recovering from mastectomies.
-- President Clinton also issued landmark Federal regulations
protecting the privacy of electronic medical records and
issued an executive memorandum preventing genetic
discrimination in Federal hiring and promotion actions.
-- President Clinton directed the federal government to ensure
that the important new benefits and rights that health care
consumers receive under the Administration's proposed
Patients Bill of Rights are guaranteed to federal employees,
veterans, Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and
individuals covered by the Indian Health Service and the
Military Health System, including choice of providers and
plans, access to emergency services, participation in
treatment decisions, confidentiality of health information
and a fair complaint and appeals process.
Executive Action Guarantees Medical Privacy
"The Administration has made significant headway where Congress could
not [on medical privacy] to restore public trust and confidence in our
nation's health care system."
-- Janlori Goldman, October 29, 1999. Janlori Goldman, considered to be
one of the leading medical privacy experts nationwide, directs the
Health Privacy Project at Georgetown University's Institute for Health
Care Research and Policy. The Project is dedicated to ensuring that
people's privacy is safeguarded in the health care environment.
Improving and Expanding Health Insurance Coverage
THEN: Barriers to coverage result in uninsured children, people with
disabilities and self-employed workers.
The number of uninsured -- especially uninsured children --
was growing. People with disabilities who wanted to work could not
for fear of losing their health insurance, and young people leaving
foster care could not retain the critical health insurance they
needed to make a healthy start as adults. Unlike many other
American workers, self-employed Americans received absolutely no
tax assistance in purchasing health care insurance.
NOW: Barriers to health coverage removed for millions of Americans.
President Clinton came into office determined to expand access
to health care for all Americans. His work has led to the first
decrease in the number of uninsured Americans in at least twelve
years.
-- President Clinton and Vice President Gore enacted the largest
investment in health care for children since 1965, providing
health care for up to five million children in working
families with the State Children's Health Insurance Program.
They also led aggressive outreach efforts to enroll eligible
children.
-- President Clinton enacted landmark legislation providing new
health insurance opportunities for working people with
disabilities and enacted new legislation to help young people
leaving foster care keep their health insurance, as well as
legislation to assure that self-employed Americans receive
the same tax benefits as workers who have job-based health
coverage.
-- The Clinton-Gore Administration has improved quality and
access of long term care. The Clinton Administration has made
ensuring the health and safety of nursing home residents a
top priority and has issued the toughest nursing home
regulations in the history of the Medicare and Medicaid
programs, requiring states to crack down on nursing homes
that repeatedly violate health and safety requirements and
changing the inspection process to increase the focus on
preventing bedsores, malnutrition and resident abuse. They
also enacted legislation simplifying state options to expand
eligibility and design community based long term care
programs, allowing seniors and people with disabilities to
receive care in their homes rather than in institutional
settings. And the Administration enacted legislation
allowing the Federal government to serve as a model employer
by offering quality private long-term care insurance to
Federal employees.
-- In October 2000, President Clinton enacted the Breast and
Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act, which provides
new treatment options to low-income, uninsured women with
breast and cervical cancer who are diagnosed through
federally sponsored screening programs.
Children's Health Insurance Program Provides Security for Families
"When we found the Healthy Families program, it was like a miracle. Now my kids have a regular doctor who knows our family. I don't have to worry about taking them in for their school physicals or for their vaccinations. They can run around and climb on things and jump off things and the only thing I really need to worry about is if they get their clothes dirty. Because of the Healthy Families program, my husband and I can make sure that our kids grow up healthy." -- Evelyn Alvarado, California, September 7, 1999. Evelyn Alvarado, enrolled her children in California's S-CHIP program (Healthy Families) in June 1999. Before they enrolled in Healthy Families, Evelyn's children -- Daniel (aged 13), Mary (aged 11), and Samuel (aged 8) -- were uninsured for eight years and only saw the doctor in the case of emergencies.
Ensuring that All Americans Have Access to Cancer Prevention and Treatment
The National Breast Cancer Coalition applauds this Administration for its dedication and commitment to furthering substantive breast cancer policies that move us closer to eradicating this disease. From enhancing access to quality clinical trials, to enacting an optional Medicaid bill that would ensure treatment for low-income women diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer through federal programs -- the Clinton Administration leaves a legacy of unprecedented progress for women with breast cancer, their families and friends. -- Fran Visco, President, National Breast Cancer Coalition
Improving Public Health
THEN: Low child immunization rates, neglected public health and
research
In 1992, America's public health delivery system was badly in
need of repair: half of two year olds did not receive their
immunizations, infant mortality rates were too high, and funding
for biomedical research was inadequate.
NOW: Record child immunization rates, increased research funding,
improved public health
President Clinton and Vice President Gore have improved our
public health system and made investments that have given us a
healthier America. They have increased child immunizations,
implemented new food safety protections, increased research funding
and became the first Administration to take on the tobacco industry
to reduce teen smoking.
-- President Clinton and Vice President Gore raised childhood
immunization rates to record levels by investing in the
Childhood Immunization Initiative in 1993. More than 90
percent of America's toddlers received the most critical
doses of each of the routinely recommended vaccines in 1996,
1997, and again in 1998. The infant mortality is at an
all-time low, and has declined by 15.2 percent since 1992.
-- The Clinton-Gore Administration improved the safety of food
for all Americans by seeking substantial funding for such
initiatives as a nationwide early-warning system for
foodborne illness, increased inspections, and the expansion
of food-safety research, risk assessment and education. The
Administration has also put into place improved science-based
standards for meat, poultry, and seafood products and enacted
strict new standards for pesticide residues in food,
including the first pesticide standards aimed specifically at
protecting children.
-- President Clinton and Vice President Gore have nearly doubled
funding for the National Institutes of Health, increasing our
investment in NIH by $10 billion since 1993, and they have
strongly supported the efforts of the National Human Genome
Research Institute to map the entire human genome, which will
revolutionize health care in the future.
-- The Clinton-Gore Administration took on the tobacco industry
by developing the first-ever plan to protect our children
from tobacco, and calling on Congress to affirm the FDA's
authority to implement this plan. The Clinton-Gore
Administration has also made our nation's health a priority
by establishing smoke-free federal workplaces, raising the
federal tobacco tax, and by giving the American people their
day in court against the tobacco manufacturers who engaged in
decades of deception about the dangers of tobacco.
Raising Immunization Rates to an All-Time High
Ensures a Healthy Future for All Children
"President Clinton and those in his administration have made
immunizations a priority since day one. -- By launching the Children's
Vaccine Initiative seven years ago, the Clinton Administration has
increased vaccination rates to an all-time high. As a result, many
infants and children will not suffer from such preventable diseases as
polio and measles."
-- Joe M. Sanders, Jr., M.D., Executive Director, American Academy of
Pediatrics.
Improving the Nation's Health Care
The Clinton Presidency:
Protecting Our Environment and Public Health
President Clinton and Vice President Gore came into office committed to demonstrating that a strong economy and a clean environment go hand-in-hand. Over the past eight years, the Clinton-Gore Administration has proven it: we now have the strongest economy and the cleanest environment in a generation. This Administration has invested in a common sense and cost-effective approach of new technologies, tougher enforcement of environmental laws, strengthening public health standards, and protecting our irreplaceable national treasures. President Clinton's environmental strategy has given our nation the cleanest air and water in a generation and the strongest economy in our nation's history -- proving that you can both protect the environment and grow the economy.
Producing Cleaner, Healthier Communities
THEN: Communities faced toxic waste dumps, dirty air and poor water
quality
In 1992, America's communities faced serious environmental
problems. Lethargic federal clean-up efforts left 88 percent of
the worst 1,200 toxic waste sites and their communities polluted
after 12 years of federal efforts. Nearly 40,000 urban industrial
sites sat abandoned with no federal strategy to redevelop them.
Sixty-two million people lived in areas with drinking water below
federal standards; nearly 157 million people -- 62 percent of the
country -- breathed air that failed to meet federal standards.
NOW: More families live in cleaner, healthier communities
President Clinton and Vice President Gore brought a renewed
commitment to protecting and preserving the environment and today,
more families live in cleaner, healthier communities.
-- They strengthened the Safe Drinking Water Act, requiring
America's 55,000 water utilities to provide regular reports
to their customers on the quality of their drinking water.
-- The Clinton-Gore Administration adopted the toughest
standards ever on soot and smog, which could prevent up to
15,000 premature deaths each year. They have announced
significant reductions in tailpipe emissions from cars, light
trucks and SUVs as well as reducing the level of sulfur in
gasoline by 90 percent. Over the coming decade, these
measures will cut smog-causing pollution from new vehicles by
77 to 95 percent, preventing 4,300 premature deaths, 260,000
asthma attacks among children, and 173,000 cases of childhood
respiratory illness each year.
-- The Administration also launched a long-term effort to
restore pristine skies and unspoiled views at the Grand
Canyon, Yosemite, Acadia and the Great Smoky Mountains
National Parks and other natural treasures that draw 290
million visitors a year. And they announced a strategy to
reduce harmful emissions of smog-causing nitrogen oxides and
particulate matter from heavy-duty trucks and diesel fuels by
over 90 percent,
-- The Clinton Administration accelerated the cleanup of the
nation's worst toxic waste sites, freeing scores of
communities from environmental threats and economic blight,
completing clean-up of more than three times as many
Superfund sites in the past eight years as were cleaned in
the past eight. The President also launched initiatives to
accelerate the cleanup of brownfields and remove barriers to
their redevelopment.
-- The Administration also expanded Americans' Right to Know
about environmental hazards in their communities by doubling
the number of chemicals that companies must report.
Critical Leadership for Clean Air
"Cleaning up big, dirty diesel trucks is critical to meet our nation's
air quality goals and to protect the public health... We commend EPA
Administrator Browner and President Clinton for proposing this
forward-thinking effort."
-- John M. Coruthers, Jr., President, American Lung Association on the
Administration proposal to clean up all heavy-duty trucks and buses and
dramatically reduce sulfur in diesel fuel starting in the 2007 model
year.
"A lot can be done by nurses like myself to educate children and parents on how to live with asthma. It also takes strong leadership in government to reduce the pollution that has often been linked to asthma. [President Clinton is] a man who has used his high office to make cleaning the air and protecting children's health a priority."
Brownfields and Superfund Initiatives Revitalize America's Communities
"This is what urban revitalization is all about. This very site, which
used to be the scourge of Fairfield County, is now the region's most
exciting new entertainment venue -- I'd be genuinely surprised if
there's a more dramatic example of success with brownfields reclamation
than right here at our ball park."
-- Mickey Herbert, majority owner, the Bridgeport Bluefish Baseball
team, Bridgeport, Connecticut, on the state of the art Harbor Yard
sports complex -- a former Brownfield.
"This allows us to participate in a program that is national in scope and touches just about every state? There are going to be many, many more fields where kids can play on that wouldn't be there except for EPA working with the United States Soccer Foundation." -- Herb Giobbi, Executive Director, U.S. Soccer Foundation on the EPA/USSF partnership to help communities build soccer fields on former Superfund sites.
Clinton-Gore Administration Empowers Communities by Expanding the Right-to-Know
"I have seen firsthand how important it is for communities to know what
chemicals are being dumped into the environment. I applaud the Clinton
Administration for working to make sure that all communities can know --
after all, this affects our health, our children's health and our
future."
-- Lorraine Ross, Clean Water Community Activist, San Francisco,
California. Lorraine Ross, fearing for the health of her family,
started a campaign 18 years ago that led to the discovery that toxic
chemicals had leaked from underground tanks at a local corporation into
a nearby drinking-water well.
"The President has been such an extraordinary leader in fighting for the environment and protecting public health. Before "right to know," people didn't know what chemicals were being released into the environment. Now, times are changing, people and companies are more aware and our communities are better for it." -- Doris McGuigan, Environmental Activist, Baltimore, Maryland.
Preserving America's Treasures for Future Generations
THEN: America's natural areas at risk
In 1992, many of America's natural treasures were at risk of
development. A massive gold mine proposed not far from Yellowstone
National Park threatened the world's first national park with toxic
runoff and other environmental harm. Many were calling for more
oil drilling in sensitive coastal areas and in areas like the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. More than half of the historic
wetlands in the continental United States had been lost.
NOW: Preserved and protected millions of acres of parks, monuments
and wilderness.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore have rededicated
America to wise stewardship of our natural resources with the goal
of ensuring that our generation will leave a better land for
generations to come.
-- From the Red Rock Canyons of Utah to the Florida Everglades,
President Clinton and Vice President Gore have preserved
millions of acres in national parks, national monuments and
wilderness areas.
-- The Clinton-Gore Administration has also launched major
reforms to reverse the loss of precious wetlands, setting a
goal of a net increase of 100,000 acres of wetlands a year by
2005.
-- The President defended Yellowstone National Park from
potential toxic runoff from a proposed gold mine near the
Park's boundary, and acquired land near the Park to expanded
critical habitat for bison.
-- The Administration has also strongly opposed efforts to drill
for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and the
President vetoed legislation that would have opened the
Refuge to new exploration.
-- President Clinton worked with Congress to provide dedicated
and protected funding for conservation and preservation
programs, including his Lands Legacy initiative. The
agreement will nearly double our investment in these
programs, making it the largest annual investment in
protecting our green and open spaces since President
Roosevelt set our nation on the path of conservation nearly a
century ago.
-- The Administration is now working to provide long-term
protection for more than 40 million acres of roadless areas
within national forests.
-- In addition, President Clinton and Vice President Gore
protected America's oceans and coasts by extending the
moratorium on new oil leasing off most of the U.S. coast
through 2012, and permanently barred new leasing in national
marine sanctuaries. The U.S. was also the first nuclear
power to advocate a global ban on ocean dumping of low-level
radioactive waste.
Leadership to Preserve National Treasures for Future Generations
"If my grandfather were here today, he would be overjoyed with what the
Forest Service, the Department of Agriculture, and the President are
about to do. Perhaps the greatest challenge in conservation in our
generation is to develop the political will to set aside enough of
nature to sustain the diversity of plants and animals we ultimately
depend on."
-- Peter Pinchot, Conservationist. Peter Pinchot is the grandson of
Gifford Pinchot, the first Chief of the Forest Service under President
Teddy Roosevelt and one of American history's most constructive land
conservation leaders.
"To save these last, vast pieces of wild country from haphazard development means that my sons' children will have room as we do, to get lost or find their bearings, to meet in themselves some long forgotten ancestor's resourcefulness and grit, to take heart?Mr. President thank you for protecting this magnificent place for our future generations." -- Ann Walka, Conservationist, Flagstaff, Arizona, on the proclamation of the Grand Canyon -- Parashant National Monument.
Managing and Using the Oceans Wisely
"If we are to protect, manage and use the oceans wisely, we must
understand how they work. We are pleased to see that research is an
important component of the Administration's agenda and applaud their
efforts."
-- Robert B. Gagosian, Director, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,
Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Protecting the Environment and Growing the Economy
THEN: Environmental opponents force choices between clean
environment and strong economy.
In 1992, special interests and polluters defeated progress by
saying that America could not protect the environment and grow the
economy. The false choice between the economy and the environment
resulted in weak standards and lax enforcement that failed to hold
polluters responsible. Meanwhile, the country had just begun to
take steps to reward conservation and tap the economic potential of
environmental technology and business. Little was being done in
this country to address climate change. Opponents were seriously
challenging the science, and businesses opposed any climate action.
Many questioned whether economies could grow and reduce greenhouse
gas emissions.
NOW: Strongest economy in a generation and a cleaner environment.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore were determined to
prove that a strong economy and a clean environment go
hand-in-hand. They worked to grow green businesses by encouraging
and rewarding new environmental technologies and significantly
increased efforts to hold polluters accountable. Sound,
common-sense approaches to climate change are putting the United
States and other nations on the path to a clean energy future,
ensuring a healthier environment while creating new opportunities
for strong, sustainable growth. These efforts are expanding markets
for renewable technologies, reducing air pollution, and serving as
a powerful example to American businesses and consumers who can
reap substantial benefits from clean energy.
-- The Clinton Administration launched the Climate Change
Technology Initiative to spur the development of clean energy
technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that lead to
global warming while saving money and creating jobs.
-- The Administration also launched the National Environmental
Technology Strategy to strengthen partnerships with the
environmental business community and expand the federal
government's role in spurring innovation and growth in the
industry. The Administration has also worked to promote the
export of U.S. technology and expertise overseas. Since
1993, exports based on environmental technology and industry
have more than doubled.
-- The Administration has secured more than $13 billion over the
past eight years for scientific research to ensure that our
strategy for climate change is founded on the best possible
science.
-- The Administration has launched more than 50 major
initiatives to improve energy efficiency and develop clean,
renewable energy sources -- steps that will reduce greenhouse
gas emissions and other emissions while saving money and
creating jobs. Over the past three years, the President has
secured more than $3 billion -- a 50% increase in annual
funding -- to research and develop clean energy technologies.
-- The Administration has forged thousands of new partnerships
with major industries to promote voluntary, cost-effective
efforts that can achieve significant reductions in greenhouse
gas emissions. These include the Partnership for a New
Generation of Vehicles (PNGV), the Partnership for Advancing
Technology in Housing (PATH), Energy Star, Climate Wise, and
Industries of the Future.
-- President Clinton has made the Federal government a cleaner,
more efficient energy consumer -- contributing to a 21
percent energy reduction since 1985 and a 24 percent
reduction in carbon emissions relative to 1990 levels. In
1999 alone, the Federal government reduced its annual energy
bill by $800 million. By 2010, the resulting energy savings
will reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by an amount
equal to taking 1.7 million cars off the road - and save
taxpayers over $750 million a year.
-- New energy-efficiency standards, implemented by this
Administration, for heating and cooling equipment, water
heaters, lighting, refrigerators, clothes washers and dryers,
and cooking equipment will cut the average appliance's energy
use by 30 percent. By 2010, these energy conservation
measures will have saved consumers almost $50 billion and
avoided cumulative greenhouse gas emissions of more than 225
million metric tons.
-- In 1997, with critical leadership from Vice President Gore,
representatives of more than 160 nations agreed on the basic
architecture of an international strategy to combat global
warming. This historic agreement -- the Kyoto Protocol --
sets strong, realistic targets for reducing greenhouse gas
emissions from industrialized countries, establishes
flexible, market-based mechanisms to achieve them as
cost-effectively as possible, with binding legal consequences
if countries fail to meet them. The Kyoto Protocol remains a
work in progress. Through ongoing negotiations, the
Administration has worked with other nations to turn the
treaty's broad concepts into working realities so this
important treaty can be ratified. The Administration has
promoted broader engagement in 55 developing countries in
this global effort, with impressive results in key countries
such as China, India, Argentina, Bolivia and Kazakhstan.
-- President Clinton and Vice President Gore have significantly
increased enforcement of environmental laws. Last year, EPA
assessed a total of $228.3 million in civil and criminal
penalties, the most ever assessed and $87 million more than
in 1992. In addition, the EPA referred 241 criminal cases to
the Justice Department, 322 defendants were charged and 2,500
total months of sentences were handed down, more than
doubling enforcement activity in each category over 1992
levels.
Climate Change Technology Task Force is Moving America Toward Reducing
Green House Gases While Growing the Economy
"The Clinton Administration deserves credit for seeing energy efficiency
for what it is - an energy source that is essential for the economic
health of our nation. The Climate Change Technology Initiative in
particular is spurring new clean energy technologies that are paying off
like a gusher for the American people. The important choices on energy
and climate must be made with a clear eye on the contribution to the
environment, the economy, national security, and international
competitiveness delivered in the past and promised for the future by
energy-efficiency."
-- David M. Nemtzow, President, Alliance to Save Energy
Protecting the Environment and Improving Public Health
The Clinton Presidency:
Unleashing the New Economy -- Expanding Access to Technology
President Clinton and Vice President Gore came into office with an agenda to use the revolution in information technology to improve Americans' quality of life and reinvigorate the economy. Since 1993, they have made smart investments in science and technology that have helped build the New Economy. The Clinton-Gore Administration's work has created a strong economy spurred by new technologies, increased access to computers and the Internet to share the benefits of the new economy, and put in place a strong research and development strategy that will continue to pay off in the years to come.
Investing in Science, Technology and Biomedical Research
THEN: American technological edge begins to erode.
America was on the cusp of a new Information Age. The U.S.
edge in technology was beginning to erode in some of our prominent
industries, in part due to the lack of a coherent plan on how to
effectively tap information technology's potential. The Cold War
had ended, but the government continued to invest most of the
federal research dollars into defense, rather than into civilian
research that directly contributes to long-term economic growth,
creates jobs, improves education and protects the environment. In
1993, only 42 percent of the federal government's research and
development investments went to civilian research.
NOW: Technology powering strong economic strength.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore wanted to use
information technology to improve Americans' quality of life and
reinvigorate the economy. They increased funding in civilian
research and development by 43 percent, without significantly
reducing the investment in defense research, and increased R&D
support to universities by 53 percent. President Clinton also made
investments to spur private sector innovation, help improve our
environment, and improve the nation's health.
-- Between 1993 and 2000, President Clinton invested an
additional $10 billion in a range of science and technology
programs included in the 21st Century Research Fund. This
includes the largest increase ever for the National Science
Foundation, which supports much of the research that trains
the next generation of America's scientists and engineers.
President Clinton also fought for the Next Generation
Internet, which is connecting universities and national labs
at speeds that are 1,000 times faster than today's Internet,
and major increases in long-term information technology
research. In 2001, investments in the 21st Century Research
Fund will total $44.9 billion.
-- The President worked with Congress to extend the Research and
Experimentation tax credit for another five years, through
2004, the longest expansion of this policy ever. Extending
the tax credit will encourage companies to undertake new
multi-year research activities, secure in the knowledge that
the 20 percent tax credit will continue to be available.
-- The Clinton Administration has invested in programs such as
the Climate Change Technology Initiative to develop clean
energy to reduce the pollution that can lead to global
warming. This Initiative is a comprehensive program of
research investments and targeted tax incentives to spur the
development of clean energy technologies. The President has
also increased the investment in nanotechnology research,
which is the manipulation of matter at the atomic and
molecular level. Nanotechnology research could lead to
breakthroughs such as the ability to store the equivalent of
the Library of Congress in a device the size of a sugar cube,
materials nearly 10 times stronger than steel and a fraction
of the weight, and the ability to detect tumors when they are
only a few cells in size.
-- President Clinton and Vice President Gore have made
unprecedented investments in biomedical research, nearly
doubling funding for the National Institutes of Health since
1993 -- a $10 billion increase. As a result, NIH supports
the highest levels of research ever on nearly all types of
disease and health conditions, making new breakthroughs
possible in vaccine development and use, the treatment of
chronic disease, and prevention and treatment of disease.
The President's National Bioethics Advisory Commission issued
recommendations on ethical standards for the conduct of stem
cell research. Stem cells may one day be used to replace
cardiac muscle cells for people with heart disease, nerve
cells for hundreds of thousands of Parkinson's patients, or
insulin-producing cells for children who suffer from
diabetes.
-- As a part of overall NIH funding, President Clinton and Vice
President Gore have strongly supported the efforts of the
National Human Genome Research Institute to map the entire
human genome. The completed map will dramatically change
medical care, opening new doors in the effort to learn more
about detection, treatment, and prevention of serious
diseases. On March 14, 2000, President Clinton announced
that he and British Prime Minister Tony Blair agreed on a
statement of principle to ensure that discoveries from the
human genome are used to advance human health. Their joint
statement applauds researchers who have made their raw human
genome sequence data freely available to the global
scientific community and calls upon others to follow their
lead.
Building the New Economy
THEN: Economic promise of technology.
In 1992, the technology revolution was just about to hit.
Only 10 million people worldwide were connected to the Internet,
and as recently as 1994, just 24 percent of American households had
a computer. The United States exported $24.9 billion in computer
equipment in 1992, and the nation had not yet experienced the
benefits of the coming technology revolution.
NOW: Leadership has helped foster technology and fueled the
economy.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore have fostered the
tremendous growth in technology in the past eight years and helped
to ensure that the New Economy has flourished, turning around the
stagnant economic growth of the 1980s. By August 2000, the number
of American households with a computers had grown to 51 percent,
and over 200 million people worldwide are connected to the Internet
-- opening a world of possibilities to Americans. Exports of
computer equipment had grown to $41.4 billion in 1997, and the
number of patent applications increased by 40 percent since 1992.
The increasing prevalence of the Internet led to a growth in
electronic commerce, which has expanded the reach of small
businesses by allowing them to reach hundreds of millions of
customers around the world.
-- President Clinton signed the Internet Tax Freedom Act, a
3-year moratorium on Internet access taxes and taxes that
discriminate against e-commerce.
-- The Clinton Administration won an agreement in the World
Trade Organization to place a temporary moratorium on duties
on electronic transmissions, making cyberspace a "duty-free
zone."
-- In October 1998, the President signed the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act, helping to protect America's intellectual
property in cyberspace.
-- On June 30, 2000, the President signed the Electronic
Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, which gives
online contracts the same force of law as paper contracts.
Customers can finalize mortgages, sign insurance contracts,
or open brokerage accounts online.
-- The President and Vice President have encouraged the private
sector to protect individual privacy through self-regulation,
third-party audits and enforcement mechanisms. In just over
a year, the number of commercial Internet sites with privacy
policies has increased from 15 percent to 66 percent.
-- President Clinton signed the Children's Online Privacy
Protection Act, which requires commercial Web sites to get a
parent's permission before collecting personal information
from minors. In May 1999, Vice President Gore announced the
Parents' Protection Page, an important new commitment by
Internet companies to give parents the resources to protect
their children from inappropriate material on the Internet
and the knowledge to supervise and guide their children's
online activities.
-- President Clinton signed the first comprehensive
telecommunications reform legislation in over sixty years,
which lowered prices, increased customer choice, and sped the
deployment of new technology.
Encouraging the Growth of the Internet and Electronic Commerce
"I want to acknowledge the contributions of President Clinton and Vice President Gore in shaping the administration policy, and in legislation supporting research and development that's needed to make Internet a global reality, and to continue its astonishing evolution." -- Dr. Vint Cerf,
Bridging the Digital Divide
THEN: Limited access to technology for most Americans.
In 1992, home computers were rare, and as recently as 1994
only three percent of classrooms were connected to the Internet.
Today, more homes and schools are connected but a divide still
exists -- 77.7 percent of households earning $75,000 or more have
Internet access, compared to 12.7 percent earning $15,000 or less.
NOW: Expanding opportunity created by technology.
As the first Administration of the Internet Age, President
Clinton and Vice President Gore have worked to make technology
available for all Americans. Since 1992, the President and Vice
President have tripled funding for Community Technology Centers,
which provide computer and Internet access in low-income urban and
rural neighborhoods. The President and Vice President are
supporting innovative applications of information technology for
low-income families through the Department of Commerce, such as
telemedicine for prenatal care and distance learning for people who
have lost their jobs. The Administration has challenged the
private sector to develop new business models for low-cost
computers and Internet access -- to make universal access at home
affordable for all Americans. President Clinton mobilized major
public and private efforts to bridge the digital divide during his
third New Markets Tour, when over 400 companies and non-profit
organizations signed a "National Call to Action" to bring digital
opportunity to youth, families, and opportunities. The Call to
Action sets goals such as ensuring that every child is
technologically literate, and making home access to the Internet as
common as the telephone.
Expanding Access to Computers and Technology Training
"Community technology centers provide low-income individuals with skills
training and the ability to produce their dreams. They are also an
important entryway to the technology industry. We think of President
Clinton as our first angel investor: his Administration's work has been
fundamental to Plugged In and to the community technology center
movement."
-- Magda Escobar, Executive Director, Plugged In, East Palo Alto,
California. Magda Escobar's community technology center shares the
opportunities created by the information revolution with residents of
East Palo Alto, a low-income community located in Silicon Valley, the
epicenter of the technological revolution. Plugged In trains teenagers
in web development to ensure that the opportunities of the technology
revolution are shared with the entire community.
"As we enter the Internet Century, nothing is more important than
providing our young people - all our young people - with the skills and
resources to thrive in this new age. We're grateful for the support that
we've received from across the industry, the non-profit world and
government. Something exciting is happening here and the momentum is
just beginning,"
-- Steve Case, Chairman of PowerUP and Chairman of AOL Time Warner.
PowerUP is a national initiative to provide underserved youth access to
technology and guidance on how to use it. In conjunction with President
Clinton's "digital divide" trip in April 2000, PowerUP committed to
establishing 250 sites in 43 states at after-school locations such as
Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs, and K-12 schools.
Increasing Technology Access in Schools
THEN: Educational technology a low priority.
A decade ago, computers were largely luxuries in the most
affluent school districts. In 1994, only three percent of
classrooms had computers that were connected to the Internet, and
in 1994 only 35 percent of public schools had any Internet access
at all. Students had little opportunity to learn to use computers
and to explore the Internet, and the government had not mobilized
its resources to expand the use of technology in our schools.
NOW: Historic investments in educational technology lead to 95
percent of public schools connected to the Internet.
Understanding the critical importance of incorporating
technology into the classroom, the Clinton-Gore Administration made
increasing access to technology in our schools a top priority.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore created the E-rate and
the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund to help connect every school
to the Internet, increase the number of multimedia computers in the
classroom and provide technology training for teachers. President
Clinton increased investments in educational technology and
training from $23 million in 1993 to $769 million in FY 2000. In
addition, with the Vice President's leadership the E-rate has
secured low-cost connections to the Internet for schools,
libraries, rural health clinics and hospitals, providing discounts
worth over $2 billion annually. The number of classrooms connected
to the Internet has increased to 65 percent in 1999, and the number
of public schools connected rose to more than 95 percent.
The E-Rate is Opening New Doors for American Students
Victor Shen, Whittier, Alaska. Victor Shen, a 16-year-old high school junior, is one of more than 30 million American children who are online because of the Clinton-Gore Administration's E-rate. Victor lives in Whittier Alaska, which is isolated from the rest of the world for six months out of the year because of its remote location and severe weather. Victor was cut off from commerce, cut off from transportation, cut off from society, and cut off from pursuing his dream for the future. Victor wanted to grow up to be a mathematician, but his teachers didn't have the best resources to teach him; nor could they afford an Internet connection to connect Victor to his dream. Thanks to Vice President Gore's leadership in securing the E-rate, Victor's school is now connected to the Internet and Victor is now connected to learning and connected to his dream. The Whittier Community School is online because of the 90 percent discount they received from the E-rate.
"The Internet allowed my students to go to a place and learn about something they could never have done before. The Internet erases boundaries of age and class. Everyone can access it in an equal way. In Paradise, this is especially important because of the limitations some of these children face."
Expanding Electronic Government
THEN: Limited electronic access to government.
In the early 1990s, the Internet was not widely available, but
by the end of the decade millions of Americans were online. In
1992, neither the White House nor any Cabinet agency had a web
page, and citizens were unable to access government information
online. President Clinton and Vice President Gore have worked to
ensure that the U.S. government used information technology to
bring government closer to the American people.
NOW: Internet expands citizen access to government.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore have used the power
of the Internet to make government work better for people. They
moved the government online, and in October 1994 they unveiled the
first White House Internet page, which provides a road map to the
federal government. Today, every Cabinet department has a web site
to make information and services available to the American people
at the touch of a button. In September 2000, the Clinton
Administration launched FirstGov.gov, making all of the
government's online resources available and searchable at a single
web site.
Expanding Access to Technology
The Clinton Presidency:
A Foreign Policy for the Global Age
President Clinton understood from the beginning of his presidency that the most pervasive force in our world is globalization. He also understood that while globalization is inexorable, its benefits must be harnessed to advance our objectives of democracy, shared prosperity and peace. The way for America to exercise its influence today is to build with our democratic partners an international system of strong alliances and institutions attuned to the challenges of a globalized world, to ensure this system is genuinely open to all who adhere to clearly defined standards, and to be ready to stand up for those standards when they are threatened. The broad outlines of a foreign policy for the global age can't be summed up on a bumper sticker, but they are reflected in the principles that have guided the Clinton foreign policy over the past eight years.
Our Alliances with Europe and Asia are the Cornerstone of Our National Security, but They Must be Constantly Adapted to Meet Emerging Challenges.
These core alliances are today stronger and arguably more durable because they are organized to advance an enduring set of shared interests, rather than to defeat a single threat. President Clinton broke new ground in 1993 by welcoming our European and Asian allies' desire to play a more responsible role while maintaining our troops and adapting our alliances in both regions.
Working for a Peaceful, Democratic, Undivided Europe -- Revitalized, adapted and expanded NATO from a static Cold War
alliance to a magnet for new democracies, with new partners,
members and missions; adapted its command structure; admitted
Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic; created Partnership for
Peace.
-- Led NATO in its first military engagement and stopped the killing
in Bosnia. The peace we brokered in Dayton has been sustained, a
civil society complete with active opposition parties and
non-governmental organizations is taking root, and national and
local elections have taken place throughout the country.
-- Took military action in Kosovo to stop ethnic cleansing and
regional instability. Forced withdrawal of Serb forces and
deployed an international presence in Kosovo -- with a 47,000
strong NATO-led force providing security for the province.
Achieved the safe and unconditional return of over 900,000
refugees, disbanded the Kosovo Liberation Army.
Adapting and Upholding our Alliance with Asia -- Updated our strategic alliance with Japan through adoption of the
Defense Guidelines and Joint Security Declaration to define how to
respond together to post-Cold War threats.
-- Reduced the North Korean threat through deterrence, diplomacy.
Negotiated the October 1994 Framework Agreement to freeze and
dismantle North Korea's dangerous nuclear weapons fuel production
and a moratorium on long-range missile testing in 1999.
-- Strengthened cooperation with South Korea to move forward to engage
North Korea. Jointly engaged in Four Party Talks and established
Trilateral Group (the United States, Japan and South Korea) to
coordinate North Korea policy which helped create the conditions
for an eventual North-South dialogue.
Peace and Security for the United States Depends on Building Principled, Constructive, Clear-Eyed Relations with Our Former Adversaries.
We must continue to be mindful of threats to the peace -- whether it is a Russian move against Georgia or a Chinese move against Taiwan -- while maximizing the chances that both nations evolve internally toward greater democracy, stability and prosperity. To achieve both goals, we must continue to seize on the desire of both Russia and China to participate in the global economy and global institutions, insisting they accept the obligations as well as the benefits of integration.
Building on Our Relationship with Russia -- Negotiated the exit of Russian troops from the Baltics, brought
Russian troops into NATO missions in the Balkans and won Russia's
active support for a just end to the Kosovo war.
-- Brought Russia into the G-8, APEC, and into relationships with NATO
and international financial institutions.
-- Reduced the nuclear danger. Deactivated/dismantled over 1,700
nuclear warheads, 300 missile launchers, 425 ICBM and SLBMs;
strengthened security and accounting of nuclear materials;
purchased 500 metric tons of weapons-grade uranium; reached
agreement for the safe, transparent and irreversible destruction of
68 metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium.
-- Supported economic reform and the creation of a market economy.
More than 250,000 Russian entrepreneurs have received U.S.
training, consulting services or loans. Today 70 percent of the
Russian economy is in private hands.
Building on Our Relationship with China
Local Conflicts can have Global Consequences. The Purpose of Peacemaking, Whether by Diplomacy or Force, Must be to Resolve Conflicts Before They Escalate and Harm Our Vital Interests.
In a global age, arguments for peacemaking are even stronger: to defuse conflicts before they escalate and harm our interests. America's dominant power is more likely to be accepted if it is harnessed to the cause of peace.
Not All Old Threats have Disappeared, but New Dangers, Accentuated by Technological Advances and the Permeability of Borders, Require New National Security Priorities.
One of the biggest changes we have brought about in the way America relates to the world has been the change in what we consider important. The Clinton Administration has defined a new security agenda that addresses contemporary threats -- nonproliferation, terrorism, international crime, infectious disease, environmental damage.
Economic Integration Advances Both Our Interests and Our Values, but Also Accentuates the Need to Alleviate Economic Disparity.
As the first president who has understood the connections of the global economy and its connection to our prosperity, President Clinton has led the United States toward its greatest expansion in world trade in history -- from $4 to $6.6 trillion a year. President Clinton has opened markets for U.S. exports abroad and created American jobs through nearly 300 other free and fair trade agreements, contributing to the longest economic expansion in our history.
The Clinton Presidency
Building One America
In 1992, Americans were struggling to maintain the sense of community and respect for diversity that makes our nation strong. The economic gap between haves and have-nots was increasing. Between 1980 through 1992, the bottom 60 percent of Americans saw little if any increase in income, unemployment for African Americans and Hispanics reached record highs, and the poverty rate for African Americans remained at or above 30 percent. Over the last eight years, President Clinton and Vice President Gore have worked to bridge racial divisions and economic disparities.. They have appointed the most diverse and inclusive administration in history, launched initiatives to close economic and social gaps, and established the One America office in the White House to build a strategy of closing opportunity gaps and to promote understanding and reconciliation.
Appointed the Most Diverse Administration in History
THEN: Few women and minorities in the top levels of government.
The impressive strides made by women and minorities had not
been fully reflected in the top levels of government. When
President Clinton came to office, there were just two women and two
minorities in the cabinet. Between 1976 and 1992, there were just
57 African Americans appointed to federal judgeships, and in 1992,
just 10 percent of the federal bench were minorities and only 11
percent were women. Comparatively, in 1990, women made up 51.3
percent of the population while minorities made up 25.1 percent of
the U.S. population.
NOW: Appointed the most diverse cabinet in history.
President Clinton appointed the most diverse Cabinet in
history. Over the past eight years, he has appointed seven African
American Cabinet Secretaries, and women make up 44 percent of
Clinton Administration appointees, including the first woman to
serve as Secretary of State, Madeline Albright, and the first to
serve as Attorney General, Janet Reno. The President also appointed
the first Asian American to serve in a Cabinet, Commerce Secretary
Norman Mineta. The President has appointed more African Americans
to federal judgeships than were appointed during the last sixteen
years combined and 14 percent of all Clinton Administration
appointees are African American, twice as many as in any previous
Administration. President Clinton appointed three times as many
female judges as the two previous administrations and the most
Hispanic judicial nominees of any President. Record numbers of
people with disabilities are also serving in the White House and
throughout the Clinton Administration.
Closing Economic and Social Gaps
THEN: Economic gaps in American society expanding
The economic gap between haves and have-nots was increasing.
Between 1980 through 1992, the bottom 60 percent of Americans saw
little if any increase in income, unemployment for African
Americans and Hispanics reached record highs, and the poverty rate
for African Americans remained at or above 30 percent.
NOW: Expanded opportunity and a strong economy improves conditions
for all Americans
Under President Clinton, unemployment and poverty rates have
declined for all groups, while family incomes have increased. The
Clinton Administration has worked to increase opportunity by
expanding access to higher education and job training, expanding
loans to minority small businesses, and launching efforts to close
the digital divide and expand new markets in underserved
communities. Examples of progress under the Clinton-Gore
Administration include:
-- Under the Clinton-Gore Administration, the unemployment rate
for African Americans fell from 14.2 percent in 1992 to 7.3
percent today and the African-American poverty rate has
dropped from 33.1 percent to 26.1 percent in 1998 -- the
lowest level recorded, and the largest five-year drop in
African-American poverty since 1967-1972. At the same time,
the typical African-American household's income is up $3,317.
-- Unemployment for Hispanics fell from 11.8 percent in October
of 1992 to 5.0 percent today. The Hispanic poverty rate has
dropped from 29.6 percent to 25.6 percent -- the lowest since
1979. And over the past three years, the income of the
typical Hispanic household has risen $3,880 -- or 15.9
percent -- the largest three-year increase in Hispanic income
on record.
-- The Clinton-Gore Administration launched an initiative to end
racial and ethnic health disparities, setting a national goal
of eliminating the longstanding disparities by the year 2010
in six key health areas: infant mortality, diabetes, cancer
screening and management, heart disease, AIDS and
immunizations.
-- The Clinton-Gore Administration has fought hate crimes and
racial profiling by fighting for the Hate Crimes Sentencing
Enhancement Act, which increased penalties for hate crimes as
part of the 1994 Crime Bill. As a result of Presidential
leadership, the number of law enforcement agencies across the
country reporting hate crimes to the Justice Department has
risen from 2,771 in 1991 to 12,122 in 1999 -- giving
authorities a more accurate picture of the problem.
President Clinton is also working to end racial profiling, by
directing Cabinet agencies to collect data on the race,
ethnicity, and gender of individuals subject to certain stops
by federal law enforcement to help determine where and when
racial profiling occurs.
-- The Clinton-Gore Administration has fought to protect the
rights of all Americans, increasing funding for civil rights
enforcement from $47.6 million in 1992 to $92 million in
2001. The President also ordered a comprehensive review of
federal affirmative action programs, which concluded that
affirmative action is still an effective and important tool
to expand educational and economic opportunity to all
Americans. And President Clinton focused the nation's
attention and resources to help stop the rash of church
burnings across the country, creating the National Church
Arson Task Force in 1995 to investigate these crimes,
prosecute those responsible, and speed the rebuilding
process.
-- President Clinton has taken action to ensure fairness and
equal participation in our society for legal immigrants. In
1997 and 1998 the President succeeded in restoring
disability, health and nutritional benefits for certain legal
immigrants. The Administration's English as a Second
Language/Civics Education Initiative provides limited English
speaking adults with instruction in both English literacy and
critical life skills necessary for effective citizenship and
civic participation and the Administration has significantly
reduced the backlog of citizenship applications.
-- President Clinton and Vice President Gore have improved
relations between the federal government and Native American
tribes. In July 1999, the President visited the Pine Ridge
Reservation in South Dakota to encourage investment in Indian
Country, making him the first sitting President to visit a
reservation since Franklin D. Roosevelt. The President also
issued executive orders promoting tribal sovereignty,
protecting sacred Indian sites, improving the academic
performance of American Indian and Alaska Native students and
supporting the nation's tribal colleges.
-- The Clinton-Gore Administration has worked to ensure equal
pay for women and close the wage gap. They addressed the wage
gap by winning $20 million in his FY 2001 budget initiative
for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide grants
to post-secondary institutions and partner organizations to
promote the full participation of women in science and
technology fields. The Equal Opportunity Employment
Commission initiated an Equal Pay Task Force to provide
assistance to field enforcement staff in their development of
cases involving equal pay and employment discrimination in
compensation.
-- President Clinton and Vice President Gore have worked hard to
assure equality of opportunity and full participation by
persons with disabilities. The Clinton-Gore Administration
has vigorously defended the Americans with Disabilities Act,
worked with States to implement the Olmstead decision to
prohibit unjustified isolation of institutionalized persons
with disabilities, and fought for accessibility in public
transportation, housing, and technology. As part of the
Administration's work to improve employment opportunities for
people with disabilities, the President created the
Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with
Disabilities and signed the Ticket to Work and Work
Incentives Improvement Act.
Addressing the Wage Gap by Supporting Enforcement
"I am grateful that the EEOC is there to assist people like me who have gone through so much in the workplace. It is never easy to confront difficult or painful situations, but I hope that I can serve as an example to women across the country who work hard to build their professional career but still do not receive salaries equal to their male counterparts. I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership on this issue."
Launched the One America Initiative
THEN: America's leaders lacked a coordinated effort to resolve
problems.
America was struggling to maintain the sense of community that
makes our nation strong. Even though the country was becoming more
diverse, serious economic and social gaps were prevalent,
particularly among minority groups. And too often political
rhetoric expanded these divisions rather than working to close
them. Despite these problems, there was no coordinated strategy to
promote reconciliation and address the economic and social divide
in this country.
NOW: Working to build One America
President Clinton launched the One America initiative, and
created a new office in the White House to ensure that we have a
coordinated strategy to close the opportunity gaps that exist for
minorities and the underserved in this country. Examples of
Clinton-Gore Administration efforts to build one America include
the following:
-- The One America initiative office helped resolve
discrimination claims against the Department of Agriculture.
Due to procedural hurdles created by previous
administrations, several thousand African American farmers
were left without a filing remedy for alleged discrimination,
which had occurred years ago. Under the President's
leadership, legislation was passed which overcame the statute
of limitation problems blocking settlement of discrimination
claims. Currently pending claims are being expedited for
review to assure that justice is served. As of November 2000,
farmers have received over 323 million dollars in settlement
fees from the federal government.
-- Through the One America initiative, President Clinton has
provided leadership to corporate America, and the legal and
faith communities to action. The President's call to action
to the legal community to enlist their support in the fight
for equal justice resulted in the formation of "Lawyers for
One America," a unique collaboration with a mission to change
the landscape for racial justice through increased pro bono
service and diversity within the legal community. Corporate
leaders convened at the White House to pledge to promote
diversity, close the opportunity gap that exists in America
and lead our nation towards the goal of building One America.
And President Clinton met with a broad group of American
religious leaders to highlight new commitments and programs
they have pledged to undertake within the faith community to
ensure that the nation's religious organizations are doing
their part to expand diversity, end racism and promote racial
reconciliation in America.
-- In 1995, President Clinton created NCATF to coordinate the
efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement in the
battle against arsons, bombings and attempted bombings of
places of religious worship. NCATF has opened 945
investigations that have led to 431 arrests and 305
convictions so far. The NCATF arrest rate is twice that of
the general arrest rate for arsons nationwide. Thanks to the
successful coordination efforts of the Clinton
Administration, the number of arsons and attacks on places of
worship continues to decrease.
Increased Opportunity for All Americans
The Clinton Presidency:
National Service and Philanthropy
Through the 1980s, America's sense of community and shared purpose began to disintegrate. Between 1989 and 1993, charitable giving as a portion of our economy declined and the number of people volunteering fell by more than 9 million. President Clinton and Vice President Gore have worked to create new opportunities for community service, and provided leadership to develop innovative partnerships between federal agencies and private nonprofits. They have also worked to involve the private sector, challenging business leaders to work with community groups, religious leaders and faith-based partnerships to tackle problems like putting welfare recipients to work, teaching children to read and closing the digital divide.
Restoring Community Service: AmeriCorps
THEN: No significant new investment in community service in a
decade.
Previous generations of Americans had answered the call to
service of their country through programs such as the Civilian
Conservation Corps, the Peace Corps and VISTA. However, it had
been more than a decade since the federal government challenged
the energy of Americans by putting significant resources behind a
meaningful effort to expand community service opportunities. The
Peace Corps and VISTA combined provided just 10,000 service
opportunities in 1993.
NOW: 200,000 Americans have served communities in AmeriCorps.
President Clinton created the AmeriCorps National Service
Program in 1993, his first year in office. Since then, AmeriCorps
has brought together nearly 200,000 people of all ages, racial,
ethnic and economic backgrounds to solve community problems and
improve the lives of Americans. And after a year of full-time
public service, AmeriCorps members receive education awards to
help finance college or pay back student loans. The President
defended AmeriCorps from numerous Congressional efforts to
eliminate the initiative, and built it into a successful program
supported by Democratic, Republican and Independent Governors
across the country.
AmeriCorps Members Investing in their Community
"When I started tutoring first graders, I was scared -- scared of the responsibility, because it is so important for a child to get a good foundation in education. One of the first students I tutored didn't know the alphabet. He was so nervous about trying but he wanted desperately to learn. I worked with him for about 20 minutes every day in the classroom and twice a week after school. Within a month, he wrote beautiful sentences. Now he's reading above grade level. I am proud to say that my experience as an AmeriCorps member has given me the skills and confidence to enter the classroom as a first grade teacher. Mr. President -- thank you for giving young adults the opportunity to improve American communities through national service. I just want to let you know that thousands of AmeriCorps members are getting things done throughout the country but especially right here in Philadelphia." --Ardelia Norwood-Ross, AmeriCorps Volunteer, Phialdelphia.. In her first year as a corps member, Ardelia served at an elementary in South Philadelphia running three literacy programs for students in first through third grades, two of which she developed herself. Ardelia is currently enrolled in a Master's program in elementary education and uses her AmeriCorps awards from her two years of service to pay back her college loans and pay for her graduate school study.
Teaching Children to Read: America Reads
THEN: Children's reading scores drop during 1980s
Reading scores among young students dropped significantly
during the 1980s. Despite research demonstrating that reading to
young children was the best way to increase reading skills, in
1991, just 35 percent of young children were read to at home every
day.
NOW: Thousands of volunteers tutor children in America Reads
In 1997, President Clinton challenged Americans to unite to
be sure that every child can read well and independently by the
end of the third grade. So far, more than 1,400 colleges have
committed more than 26,000 Work Study students to tutor children
in reading, and nearly one million children have been taught,
tutored or mentored through national service programs like
AmeriCorps, VISTA, and Foster Grandparents. President Clinton's
America Reads challenge also sought to involve businesses,
communities, pediatricians and child care providers in helping
recruit volunteers, organize book drives and tutor young children
in reading. President Clinton launched America Reads as a
volunteer partnership, then worked with Congress to pass the
Reading Excellence Act in 1998 to provide $260 million and serve
1.1 million children annually. This national effort to improve
reading has made a great difference for children learning to read.
Today, more families are spending time each day reading to their
children. In 1999, 53 percent of children ages 3-5 were read to
daily by a family member. Reading scores are also going up,
especially in our highest poverty communities. From 1992 to 1996,
reading scores of nine-year-olds in highest poverty schools
improved by nearly one grade level, reversing a downward trend.
College Students Contributing to Their Communities through America
Reads
"At California State University, Los Angeles, tutors participating in the America Reads Challenge are part of a long-standing institutional commitment to community service. Documented outcomes of the America Reads project illustrate significant improvement in the literacy skills of the children with whom we are tutoring. Our students and our neighbors are benefiting from this relationship. Cal State, LA is proud to be a part of the America Reads Challenge." -- Dr. James Rosser, California State University, Los Angeles
Increasing Charitable Giving
THEN: Charitable giving and volunteering declines.
Charitable giving as a portion of Gross Domestic Product
declined from 1989 to 1993. The number of people volunteering
fell from 98.4 million in 1989 to 89.2 in 1993, and the total
number of volunteer hours dropped by one billion over the same
period.
NOW: Administration encourages philanthropy and charitable giving
soars.
The Clinton-Gore Administration has worked to promote
charitable giving and philanthropy, hosting the White House
Conference on Philanthropy in October 1999, creating an
Interagency Task Force on Nonprofits and Government and working to
build partnerships between government, business and non-profit
organizations. The strong economy has driven a large share of the
increase in philanthropy -- as individual wealth has increased,
the value of the stock in foundations has soared. Charitable
giving reached a record high in 1999, surging to more than $190
billion, an increase of 43 percent since 1993; as a percentage of
GDP, charitable giving soared to 2.1 percent, the highest level in
almost three decades.
Drawing on the Private Sector:
THEN: America has more problems than federal resources.
In 1992, America faced high poverty rates; record numbers of
people unemployed or on welfare; serious environmental problems;
and record-high deficits. Government alone could not solve all of
these problems.
NOW: Clinton-Gore Administration draws on private sector
partnerships.
President Clinton challenged corporate, religious and
community leaders to join together to solve major problems facing
the country. The Clinton-Gore Administration has provided
important leadership to develop vital partnerships with the
private sector, including:
-- Through the President's New Markets and Digital Divide
initiatives, corporations have pledged millions of dollars in
assistance and development commitments to bring economic
development and high-tech training to underserved urban,
rural, and tribal communities.
-- The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, a private
nonprofit organization, was launched in response to the
President's 1995 State of the Union in which he challenged
parents and leaders across the country to come together in a
national effort to reduce teen pregnancy. The Campaign has
raised the visibility of this issue nationwide by enlisting
the help of the media and private advertising experts. The
Campaign has also created a more effective grassroots
movement that brings together public, private, nonprofit
partners in states and local communities. Both teen pregnancy
and teen birth rates are now at record low levels.
-- The Administration's efforts also resulted in the creation of
the Fair Labor Association, which includes apparel makers who
have adopted a code of conduct to eliminate child labor and
sweatshop working conditions in manufacturing plants
throughout the world.
-- The President's work with the entertainment industry led to
the voluntary adoption of a ratings system for television
shows so parents can be informed about the content of the
programs their children are watching.
Service and Volunteerism Producing Progress for Communities
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