pd07fe94 Acts Approved by the President...

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received in time for publication in the appropriate issue.


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[Page 169]
 
Monday, February 7, 1994
 
Volume 30--Number 5
Pages 167-215
 
Week Ending Friday, February 4, 1994
 
Statement on Oregon Governor Barbara Roberts' Decision Not To Seek 
Reelection

January 28, 1994

    It was with regret that I learned of Oregon Governor Barbara 
Roberts' decision not to seek reelection.
    I have been very fortunate to work with the Governor on issues 
affecting the people of the Northwest and the Nation: health care, 
economic opportunity, and the protection of our natural resources. Her 
leadership on these and other issues will be missed.
    I commend Governor Roberts for her dedication to the people of 
Oregon throughout her 20 years of public service. My best wishes go out 
to the Governor and her family.

Note: This item was not received in time for publication in the 
appropriate issue.


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[Page 169]
 
Monday, February 7, 1994
 
Volume 30--Number 5
Pages 167-215
 
Week Ending Friday, February 4, 1994
 
Nomination for Associate Judges on the Superior Court of theDistrict of 
Columbia

January 28, 1994

    The President today announced that he intends to nominate Judith 
Bartnoff and Zoe Bush to serve as Associate Judges on the Superior Court 
of the District of Columbia.
    ``Judith Bartnoff and Zoe Bush have both distinguished themselves 
throughout their legal careers as dedicated and accomplished 
professionals,'' said the President. ``I am confident that they will 
serve the people of the District of Columbia well on the Superior Court 
bench.''

Note: Biographies of the nominees were made available by the Office of 
the Press Secretary. This item was not received in time for publication 
in the appropriate issue.


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[Page 169-171]
 
Monday, February 7, 1994
 
Volume 30--Number 5
Pages 167-215
 
Week Ending Friday, February 4, 1994
 
The President's Radio Address

January 29, 1994

    Good morning. If I sound a little hoarse today it's because I 
haven't completely recovered my voice which I lost after I gave the 
State of the Union Address to Congress. You know, I don't like losing my 
voice, but frankly, it wouldn't be a bad thing in Washington if more 
people had to lower their voices and listen to you a little more. I 
think if they did, it would strengthen their determination to keep 
fighting to change this country for the better.
    A lot of changes have occurred in the last year, and you, basically, 
deserve the credit for it, even though Congress had to enact the laws 
that I proposed. There's been an economic plan that cuts the deficit by 
half a trillion dollars, more than 1.6 million new jobs in the private 
sector, tax relief for 15 million low- and moderate-wage workers to 
reward work over welfare, a family and medical leave law to enable 
people to take a little time off when there's a child born or a parent 
sick without losing their jobs, the Brady bill to keep more guns out of 
the hands of criminals, more affordable loans for the middle class, and 
a national service program for young people who want to give something 
back to their communities and their country and earn credit toward a 
college education.
    And it's beginning to pay off. Yesterday we received very 
encouraging growth figures for the last 3 months of 1993. This economic 
plan is promoting the right kind of recovery and growth through smaller 
deficits, lower interest rates, lower inflation, and productive 
investment. It's not the kind of growth we had too much in the 1980's, 
where there was ballooning debt and paper prosperity.
    I know a lot of you aren't yet feeling the benefits of these 
changes, and our work won't be done until every American has the 
security to face the future without fear. But because you've demanded 
change, Washington finally is addressing America's agenda, the problems 
you face in your jobs, your communities, and your families.
    Because good skills are the only tickets to good jobs and growing 
incomes, I'm asking Congress this year to invest more in education and 
training, to transform the unem- 

[[Page 170]]

ployment system into a reemployment system that teaches new skills for 
new jobs. We need to do more to help people who don't go to college to 
move from high school to work. And we need to improve all our schools 
with our Goals 2000 plan, which links world-class standards to 
grassroots reforms.
    Because the welfare system discourages work and destroys families, 
I'm asking Congress to help to revolutionize it. For those who depend on 
welfare, we should provide the support, the job training, and the child 
care needed for up to 2 years. But after that, anyone who can work must 
work.
    Change is never easy, and I especially need your help on two crucial 
challenges: fighting crime and reforming our health care system. We need 
to make the criminal justice system work for the victims, not the 
criminals. And we must make the health care system work for all the 
hard-working families in this country, and put an end to the 
inefficiency, the fraud, and the abuse that has made our system the 
world's most expensive and the only one in the advanced world that 
doesn't provide some coverage to every family.
    I'm asking Congress to pass a strong, smart, tough anticrime bill. 
We must tell career criminals if you commit a third violent crime, 
you'll be put away for good, ``Three strikes and you're out.'' We should 
hire 100,000 more police officers to protect our communities. They help 
to reduce the crime rate. We must ban assault weapons that make 
criminals better armed than police. And we need more drug training and 
alternative punishments for young people, like boot camps.
    And this year, we must make history by reforming the health care 
system and providing guaranteed private insurance for every American. 
The First Lady and I have traveled across the country; we've received 
almost a million letters. And you know, the only place where people say 
there's really no health care crisis is right here in Washington where 
so many enjoy secure health benefits at reasonable cost paid for by the 
taxpayers.
    Let's face it, the health insurance system is rigged against 
ordinary families and small businesses. Insurance companies control it: 
They pick and choose whom they cover; they charge more if your business 
is too small; they might not cover you at all or a member of your family 
or one of your employees if you have what they call a preexisting 
condition. Unless we change things, 58 million Americans may have no 
coverage at all for some time this year, and experts say 3 of every 10 
small businesses may be forced to stop covering their employees in the 
years ahead because small business costs are going up so much faster 
than big business and Government costs.
    Let those who say there's no crisis tell it to Rick Tarnow of 
Longview, Texas. He left his job and secure benefits at a large 
corporation to start a small business. Then his son was diagnosed with 
cystic fibrosis. Because of the disease, the son can't get coverage. 
Every insurance company tells the Tarnows, ``Until there's a cure for 
cystic fibrosis, we will not cover your child.'' As Rick's wife, Tracy, 
told my wife, ``It's devastating enough to learn that your child has a 
chronic illness and then have to deal with the nightmare of insurance.''
    Those who say there's no crisis should tell it to the Janetakos 
family of Woburn, Massachusetts. Twelve years ago, Corrine Janetakos had 
a stroke, leaving her partially paralyzed. Now she and her husband, who 
owns a painting business, have trouble getting insurance because of her 
preexisting condition. She wrote to Hillary because, quote, ``It's been 
very frustrating arguing my dilemma to the numerous insurance companies 
that we've applied to for coverage.''
    Well, with our approach it will be illegal for companies to deny 
anyone coverage for any reason, and every family will have comprehensive 
benefits that can never be taken away. The Tarnow family, the Janetakos 
family, and millions of other Americans live every day with the health 
care crisis. It's time we stopped denying there's a crisis and started 
fixing it.
    Now is the time to debate and decide America's real agenda: health 
care, crime, jobs and skills, welfare reform, more hope for our young 
people. The debate is between those who don't even understand how you 
live and those who understand the urgency of change, between those who 
don't even see these problems and those who are working to solve them, 
between those who are comfortable with deadlock and drift and those

[[Page 171]]

who call for continuing the American journey of progress and renewal. If 
you raise your voice, the forces of change will prevail.
    With your help, I'll keep speaking out for reforming health care, 
fighting crime, ending welfare as we know it, and improving our skills, 
our schools, and our future. And I'll try not to shout myself hoarse 
tomorrow on Super Bowl Sunday.

Note: The President spoke at 10:06 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House.


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[Page 171]
 
Monday, February 7, 1994
 
Volume 30--Number 5
Pages 167-215
 
Week Ending Friday, February 4, 1994
 
Letter Accepting the Resignation of Philip B. Heymann as Deputy Attorney 
General

January 29, 1994

Dear Phil:

    It is with deep regret that I accept your resignation as Deputy 
Attorney General, effective upon the availability of a successor.
    You brought a most impressive history of service to the Department 
of Justice and distinguished yourself at every turn. During your time as 
Deputy Attorney General, you consistently demonstrated intelligence, 
integrity, sound judgment, and an unyielding commitment to the cause of 
justice.
    I am very grateful for all of your many contributions to my 
Administration and our nation. I wish you the very best as you return to 
your academic career at Harvard Law School.
    Sincerely,
                                                  Bill Clinton

Note: This letter was made available by the Office of the Press 
Secretary but was not issued as a White House press release.


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[Page 171-172]
 
Monday, February 7, 1994
 
Volume 30--Number 5
Pages 167-215
 
Week Ending Friday, February 4, 1994
 
Remarks to the National Governors' Association

January 31, 1994

    I want to thank you all again for coming. Since we're running a bit 
late, I want to be brief and get on to hearing from Governor Campbell 
and Governor Dean. The primary thing that I was hoping we could talk 
about in this morning's session is the crime bill.
    I wanted to emphasize that I am very aware that this is an issue 
that historically has been dealt with primarily at the local and State 
level, one that I spent an enormous amount of time on as a Governor and 
as attorney general.
    There are things that I think should be and indeed almost have to be 
done at the national level. We passed the Brady bill at the end of the 
last session of Congress, which I think was a very important thing. And 
many of you were helpful in that regard, and I appreciate that. We have 
a number of grants to cities and communities to help with law 
enforcement, and we had enormous application, actually a terrific 
surplus of applications for the Attorney General's discretionary funds 
on community policing. This summer--Eli Segal is here--our summer of 
service program, as part of the national service this summer, will be 
called the summer of safety. And we hope thousands of our young people 
will be out there working with law enforcement people all across the 
country.
    I really appreciate a lot of the things that all of you have done in 
this regard. Let me just say that the crime bill itself has a number of 
provisions that I think are quite important and some with which you may 
or may not agree. Two things that I feel very strongly about are the 
community policing provisions and the ``three strikes and you're out'' 
provision. I'd like to say something about each of them.
    One, we know that there's been a dramatic reversal in the ratio of 
police officers to crime in the last 35 years. Thirty-five years ago, 
there were three police officers for every serious crime reported. 
Today, there are three crimes for every police officer, particularly in 
the high crime areas of the country. We have ample evidence that 
community policing actually works to reduce crime by having people on 
the block who are well-trained and know the people who live there. Dr. 
Lee Brown, our Director of Drug Policy, instituted community policing 
programs in major cities all across this country and can speak to that. 
The mayors were here last week. They were exceedingly enthusiastic about 
that provision, and we're looking forward to working with them and with 
you about it.

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