Home > 1998 Presidential Documents > pd09no98 Statement on Signing the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998...pd09no98 Statement on Signing the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998...
foster performance excellence in schools, health care, and business.
The Act also officially establishes within the Department of
Commerce an Office of Space Commercialization and the Experimental
Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology. These programs address two
important components of our overall competitiveness strategy: our wise
use of commercial space capabilities, consistent with public safety and
national security requirements, and enhancement of technological
opportunities for the States.
This Act furthers my Administration's commitment to ensure that
technology remains the engine of economic growth. We have more work to
do. My Administration will work with the 106th Congress on legislation
to reauthorize the Commerce Department's Technology Administration and
other NIST programs.
William J. Clinton
The White House,
October 30, 1998.
Note: H.R. 1274, approved October 30, was assigned Public Law No. 105-
309. This item was not received in time for publication in the
appropriate issue.
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Monday, November 9, 1998
Volume 34--Number 45
Pages 2197-2274
Week Ending Friday, November 6, 1998
Statement on Signing Wildlife and Wetlands Legislation
October 30, 1998
Today I am signing into law H.R. 2807, an omnibus measure that
includes many provisions I supported to enhance fish and wildlife
protection.
The Act reauthorizes the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act
through FY 2002 and prohibits the sale, importation, and exportation of
products labeled or advertised as derived from rhinoceroses or tigers.
This will substantially eliminate the demand for products made from
these endangered species. The Act also reauthorizes, through FY 2003,
the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and the Partnerships for
Wildlife Act, two of the most popular, cost-effective, and productive
environmental conservation programs.
I note that section 304 of the Act amends the criteria for
appointing individuals to the North American Wetlands Conservation
Council. Specifically, this provision purportedly designates an
officeholder of a named private organization as a Council member. This
raises two issues. First, the Council is involved in the implementation
of Federal wetlands conservation programs and, therefore, its members
are considered officers of the United States. Pursuant to the
Appointments Clause of the Constitution, the Congress may not appoint
Federal officers. Consequently, I will instruct the Secretary of the
Interior merely to consider the designated individual along with other
appropriate candidates for appointment to the Council.
Second, if the Secretary ultimately selects the individual
designated by the Act, that individual will be subject to executive
branch standards of conduct and criminal conflict-of-interest statutes.
The individual's ability to act fully as a Council member therefore may
be somewhat curtailed by his or her affiliation with a private
organization.
On balance, the Act provides a considerable benefit to the
conservation of fish and wildlife, and I am pleased to sign it into law.
William J. Clinton
The White House,
October 30, 1998.
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Note: H.R. 2807, approved October 30, was assigned Public Law No. 105-
312. This item was not received in time for publication in the
appropriate issue.
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Monday, November 9, 1998
Volume 34--Number 45
Pages 2197-2274
Week Ending Friday, November 6, 1998
Statement on Signing the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of
1998
October 30, 1998
Today I signed into law H.R. 4151, the ``Identity Theft and
Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998.'' This legislation will make identity
theft a Federal crime, with penalties generally of up to 3 years
imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000.
Specifically, the legislation would penalize the theft of personal
information with the intent to commit an unlawful act, such as obtaining
fraudulent loans or credit cards, drug trafficking, or other illegal
purposes. It would also direct the Federal Trade Commission to help
victims deal with the consequences of this crime.
Tens of thousands of Americans have been victims of identity theft.
Impostors often run up huge debts, file for bankruptcy, and commit
serious crimes. It can take years for victims of identity theft to
restore their credit ratings and their reputations. This legislation
will enable the United States Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, and other law enforcement agencies to combat this type of
crime, which can financially devastate its victims.
I want to thank the Vice President for his leadership on this and
other privacy issues. As we enter the Information Age, it is critical
that our newest technologies support our oldest values.
William J. Clinton
The White House,
October 30, 1998.
Note: H.R. 4151, approved October 30, was assigned Public Law No. 105-
318. This item was not received in time for publication in the
appropriate issue.
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Monday, November 9, 1998
Volume 34--Number 45
Pages 2197-2274
Week Ending Friday, November 6, 1998
Statement on Signing the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998
October 30, 1998
Today I am pleased to sign into law H.R. 4309, the ``Torture Victims
Relief Act of 1998.'' This Act authorizes continued and expanded U.S.
contributions to treatment centers, both in the United States and around
the world, for persons who suffer from the mental and physical anguish
of having been tortured.
The United States has contributed to these centers for many years--
directly to domestic centers through the Department of Health and Human
Services and to overseas centers through the Agency for International
Development, and indirectly, through Department of State contributions
to the United Nations Voluntary Fund for the Victims of Torture.
Contributions of this nature are a concrete and practical step that the
U.S. Government takes to mitigate the effects of this serious, and far
too pervasive, human rights violation.
I want to stress, however, that assisting torture victims does not
end the curse of torture. The United States will continue its efforts to
shine a spotlight on this horrible practice wherever it occurs, and we
will do all we can to bring it to an end.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all those who have
contributed to the successful passage of this legislation. I also salute
those nongovernmental organizations active in the cause of human rights,
who encouraged congressional passage of this Act and who work tirelessly
to keep alive the spirit of human rights, in our hearts and in our
domestic and foreign policy.
William J. Clinton
The White House,
October 30, 1998.
Note: H.R. 4309, approved October 30, was assigned Public Law No. 105-
320. This item was not received in time for publication in the
appropriate issue.
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Monday, November 9, 1998
Volume 34--Number 45
Pages 2197-2274
Week Ending Friday, November 6, 1998
Statement on the Council on Environmental Quality Chair Transition
October 30, 1998
Today, with regret, I accept the resignation of Kathleen McGinty as
Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality.
As my principal environmental policy adviser for nearly 6 years,
Katie has led this administration's efforts to protect and restore our
environment. From the forests of the Pacific Northwest to Florida's
Everglades and the red-rock canyons of Utah, she has helped preserve
America's natural legacy for all time. And from our air to our water to
our climate, she has worked tirelessly to ensure our children and
grandchildren an environment both healthy and safe.
In all these endeavors, Katie has been guided by the firm belief
that the environment truly is a common ground. She has strived to
promote collaboration over conflict and to demonstrate that a healthy
economy and a healthy environment not only are compatible but are
inextricably linked. Indeed, today we enjoy the strongest economy and
cleanest environment in a generation. I am deeply grateful for Katie's
vision, dedication, and hard work.
I am pleased to announce that beginning November 7, upon Katie's
departure, George T. Frampton, Jr., will become acting Chair of CEQ. I
will formally announce my intent to nominate Mr. Frampton as Chair, and
will submit nomination papers to the Senate, at the appropriate time.
Mr. Frampton comes to his position at CEQ with a wealth of
experience in environmental matters. He served as Assistant Secretary of
Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks from 1993 to 1997, and prior to
that was president of the Wilderness Society. In addition, he has served
as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, Deputy Director
of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's inquiry into the nuclear accident
at Three Mile Island, and a visiting lecturer in constitutional law at
Duke University Law School.
Note: This item was not received in time for publication in the
appropriate issue.
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Monday, November 9, 1998
Volume 34--Number 45
Pages 2197-2274
Week Ending Friday, November 6, 1998
The President's Radio Address
October 31, 1998
Good morning. I'm speaking to you today from the Glen Forest
Elementary School in Falls Church, Virginia, where I'm joined by
students, parents, and teachers to talk about a problem they understand
all too well: the urgent need in America for school construction. In
fact, I'm speaking to you from one of nine trailer classrooms that sit
outside the schoolhouse on what used to be a playground, because there's
simply not enough room inside for all the students. And the 10th trailer
goes up in a matter of days.
Falls Church is not the only place with this problem. Rundown
schools and rising enrollments have made these trailers an increasingly
common sight all over our country. Too many children are going to school
every day in trailers like this one. In other schools, class is held in
gymnasiums and cafeterias. I've even heard some stories of classes being
held in closets. Crumbling walls and ceilings have forced still other
schools to bus their students to neighboring facilities.
With a record number of school buildings in disrepair, especially in
our larger cities, and school enrollments all over America at record
highs and rising by the millions, the need to renew our Nation's public
schools has never been more pressing. I've said many times that in this
increasingly global world where what you earn depends upon what you
learn, improving education must be our Nation's top priority for all our
children.
For nearly 6 years now, I've done everything I could to meet that
challenge. I'm especially proud of the victories for America's children
our administration fought for and won in the balanced budget Congress
passed just last week. We fought for and won new investments, from child
literacy to college mentoring, from after-school programs to summer
school programs, to opening the doors of college even wider by helping
more people with financial aid. All these things will help all our
children reach their highest potential no matter where they start out in
life and where they go to school.
Perhaps even more important, we fought for and won an unprecedented
commitment to put 100,000 new well-trained teachers in
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our Nation's classrooms, to reduce class size, decrease discipline
problems, and increase student learning. But you don't have to be a math
whiz to know that more teachers and smaller classes means we also need
more classrooms. Unfortunately, the Republican leadership in Congress
failed the simple test to pass my school construction initiative to help
communities build, repair, and modernize 5,000 schools around our
country.
I'm disappointed that Congress also blocked our efforts to raise
academic standards and strengthen accountability in our schools. At a
time when our children's education matters more than ever to our
children's future and to our Nation's strength in the 21st century,
there are still even some Republicans in Congress who would shut down
the Department of Education.
Now, in just a few days Americans will go to the polls to elect the
next Congress. And there's a lot at stake. Our children don't need
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