pd18au97 Letter to Congressional Leaders Transmitting a Line Item Veto of the...

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<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]


[Page i-ii]
 
Monday, August 18, 1997
 
Volume 33--Number 33
Pages 1223-1253
 
Contents

[[Page i]]

Weekly Compilation of

Presidential

Documents



[[Page ii]]

Addresses and Remarks

    See also Bill Vetoes
    Children, action on safe use of medications--1241
    Democratic Conference of Mayors dinner--1234
    Missouri, St. Louis
        Democratic Business Council--1231
        Midwest Technology Corp. (Mid Tec)--1229
    National Archives and Records Administration, White House Millennium 
        Program--1248
    Oklahoma City Memorial--1243
    Radio address--1223
    Religious exercise and religious expression in the Federal 
        workplace--1245

Appointments and Nominations

    White House Office, White House Millennium Program Office, 
        Director--1248

Bill Signings

    International Dolphin Conservation Program Act, statement--1251
    Stamp Out Breast Cancer Act, statement--1242

Bill Vetoes

    Balanced Budget Act of 1997, line item veto
        Letter to congressional leaders--1228
        Remarks--1225
    Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, line item veto
        Letter to congressional leaders--1228
        Remarks--1225

Communications to Congress

    See also Bill Vetoes
    Colombian narcotics traffickers, letter reporting--1239
    Export control regulations, letter transmitting notice--1243

Communications to Federal Agencies

    Religious exercise and religious expression in the Federal 
        workplace, memorandum--1246

Executive Orders

    Protecting Federal Employees and the Public From Exposure to Tobacco 
        Smoke in the Federal Workplace--1224

Interviews With the News Media

    Exchange with reporters in the Oval Office--1225

Notices

    Continuation of Emergency Regarding Export Control Regulations--1242

Statements by the President

    See also Bill Signings
    Child safety locks for handguns--1248

Supplementary Materials

    Acts approved by the President--1253
    Checklist of White House press releases--1253
    Digest of other White House announcements--1252
    Nominations submitted to the Senate--1252




              WEEKLY COMPILATION OF
          ------------------------------
              PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS

Published every Monday by the Office of the Federal Register, National
Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC 20408, the Weekly
Compilation of Presidential Documents contains statements, messages, and
other Presidential materials released by the White House during the
preceding week.

The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is published pursuant to
the authority contained in the Federal Register Act (49 Stat. 500, as
amended; 44 U.S.C. Ch. 15), under regulations prescribed by the
Administrative Committee of the Federal Register, approved by the
President (37 FR 23607; 1 CFR Part 10).

Distribution is made only by the Superintendent of Documents, Government
Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The Weekly Compilation of
Presidential Documents will be furnished by mail to domestic subscribers
for $80.00 per year ($137.00 for mailing first class) and to foreign
subscribers for $93.75 per year, payable to the Superintendent of
Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The charge
for a single copy is $3.00 ($3.75 for foreign mailing).

There are no restrictions on the republication of material appearing in
the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents.



[[Page 1223]]




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[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
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[Page 1223-1224]
 
Monday, August 18, 1997
 
Volume 33--Number 33
Pages 1223-1253
 
Week Ending Friday, August 15, 1997
 
The President's Radio Address


August 9, 1997

    The President. Good morning. Vice President Gore has joined me today 
to talk to you about what we're doing to reduce smoking, especially by 
young people, and to protect Americans from the potential threat of 
secondhand tobacco smoke.
    Cigarette smoking is the most single significant public health 
problem facing our people today. Every year, more Americans die from 
smoking-related diseases than from AIDS, car accidents, murders, 
suicides, and fires combined, taking a terrible human toll and putting 
great financial burdens on our health care system and on businesses all 
across America.
    Last year we took bold action to shield our children from tobacco, 
telling the tobacco companies: Market and sell your products to adults 
if you wish, but you must draw the line at children. And we launched a 
comprehensive plan that prohibits retailers from selling tobacco to 
minors and requires clerks to check I.D.'s before selling cigarettes to 
the young people. These regulations are critical to our goal of keeping 
tobacco out of our children's lives, but they must be enforced. I 
requested $34 million for enforcement in my 1998 budget, but Congress 
has cut that funding. I urge the Congress to do the right thing and 
restore the full $34 million when they return in September. We need to 
do more to cut off our children's access to tobacco, and this is no time 
to cut corners.
    This week I signed historic legislation that balances the budget in 
a way that protects our values, invests in our people, and prepares us 
for the 21st century. Our balanced budget includes a 15-cents-a-pack 
cigarette tax to help States provide health care for up to 5 million 
uninsured children and helps to prevent many young people from taking up 
smoking in the first place.
    But we must do more to protect all Americans from the dangers of 
smoking. One of the most important things we can do is to protect those 
who don't use tobacco from the threat of secondhand smoke. And I'd like 
to ask the Vice President to say just a few words about what that threat 
means to our families and children.

[At this point, Vice President Gore made brief remarks.]

    The President. Thank you. Today I am signing an Executive order that 
takes the next step and bans smoking in all Federal facilities under the 
control of our administration. A year from today, every Federal agency 
and office building, every visitor's center at every national park, 
every facility owned or leased by the executive branch must be smoke-
free.
    Now, this order does allow agencies to designate smoking areas for 
their employees who smoke, as long as these areas are ventilated to the 
outside and nonsmoking employees do not have to enter them. Our Federal 
workers and the thousands of people who visit Federal facilities will 
now be protected from the risk of secondhand smoke.
    This fall, I hope we'll begin an important national debate on 
additional measures we can enact to reduce smoking, especially by 
children. I applaud the State attorneys general and public health 
advocates for providing us an extraordinary opportunity to engage in 
this debate and to build on the progress we've already made. I'm 
particularly pleased their plan includes a proposal, based on a bill by 
Representative Henry Waxman, to protect all Americans from secondhand 
smoke. And I look forward to working together in the months ahead to 
meet this challenge.
    Americans who have made the choice not to use tobacco products 
should not be put at risk by those who choose to smoke. With this step 
we're taking today, millions of Americans will be able to breathe just a 
little easier.

[[Page 1224]]

    Thanks for listening.

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


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[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
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[Page 1224-1225]
 
Monday, August 18, 1997
 
Volume 33--Number 33
Pages 1223-1253
 
Week Ending Friday, August 15, 1997
 
Executive Order 13058--Protecting Federal Employees and the Public From 
Exposure to Tobacco Smoke in the Federal Workplace

August 9, 1997

    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and 
the laws of the United States of America and in order to protect Federal 
Government employees and members of the public from exposure to tobacco 
smoke in the Federal workplace, it is hereby ordered as follows:
    Section 1. Policy. It is the policy of the executive branch to 
establish a smoke-free environment for Federal employees and members of 
the public visiting or using Federal facilities. The smoking of tobacco 
products is thus prohibited in all interior space owned, rented, or 
leased by the executive branch of the Federal Government, and in any 
outdoor areas under executive branch control in front of air intake 
ducts.
    Sec. 2. Exceptions. The general policy established by this order is 
subject to the following exceptions: (a) The order does not apply in 
designated smoking areas that are enclosed and exhausted directly to the 
outside and away from air intake ducts, and are maintained under 
negative pressure (with respect to surrounding spaces) sufficient to 
contain tobacco smoke within the designated area. Agency officials shall 
not require workers to enter such areas during business hours while 
smoking is ongoing.
    (b) The order does not extend to any residential accommodation for 
persons voluntarily or involuntarily residing, on a temporary or long-
term basis, in a building owned, leased, or rented by the Federal 
Government.
    (c) The order does not extend to those portions of federally owned 
buildings leased, rented, or otherwise provided in their entirety to 
nonfederal parties.
    (d) The order does not extend to places of employment in the private 
sector or in other nonfederal governmental units that serve as the 
permanent or intermittent duty station of one or more Federal employees.
    (e) The head of any agency may establish limited and narrow 
exceptions that are necessary to accomplish agency missions. Such 
exception shall be in writing, approved by the agency head, and to the 
fullest extent possible provide protection of nonsmokers from exposure 
to environmental tobacco smoke. Authority to establish such exceptions 
may not be delegated.
    Sec. 3. Other Locations. The heads of agencies shall evaluate the 
need to restrict smoking at doorways and in courtyards under executive 
branch control in order to protect workers and visitors from 
environmental tobacco smoke, and may restrict smoking in these areas in 
light of this evaluation.
    Sec. 4. Smoking Cessation Programs. The heads of agencies are 
encouraged to use existing authority to establish programs designed to 
help employees stop smoking.
    Sec. 5. Responsibility for Implementation. The heads of agencies are 
responsible for implementing and ensuring compliance with the provisions 
of this order. ``Agency'' as used in this order means an Executive 
agency, as defined in 5 U.S.C. 105, and includes any employing unit or 
authority of the Federal Government, other than those of the legislative 
and judicial branches. Independent agencies are encouraged to comply 
with the provisions of this order.
    Sec. 6. Phase-In of Implementation. Implementation of the policy set 
forth in this order shall be achieved no later than 1 year after the 
date of this order. This 1 year phase-in period is designed to establish 
a fixed but reasonable time for implementing this policy. Agency heads 
are directed during this period to inform all employees and visitors to 
executive branch facilities about the requirements of this order, inform 
their employees of the health risks of exposure to environmental tobacco 
smoke, and undertake related activities as necessary.
    Sec. 7. Consistency with Other Laws. The provisions of this order 
shall be implemented consistent with applicable law, including the 

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