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This Statement of Administration Policy provides the Administration's views on
S. 1156, the District of Columbia Appropriations Bill, FY 1998, as reported by
the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The Administration commends the Committee for developing a bill that provides
sufficient funding to implement the National Capital Revitalization and
Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 successfully. The Senate is urged to
approve a bill that is free of extraneous provisions.
The Administration strongly supports charter schools which provide parents and
students more choice within the public education system. However, the
Administration understands that an amendment may be offered that would provide
for the use of school vouchers in the District. The Administration would
strongly oppose any legislation allowing the use of Federal taxpayer funds for
private school vouchers. Instead of investing additional resources in public
schools, vouchers would allow a few selected students to attend private
schools, and would draw attention away from the hard work of reforming public
schools that serve the overwhelming majority of D.C. students. Establishing a
private school voucher system in the Nation's Capital would set a dangerous pr
ecedent for using Federal taxpayer funds for schools that are not accountable
to the public. If such an amendment were adopted and included in the bill
presented to the President, his senior advisers would recommend that the
President veto the bill.
The Administration strongly opposes the abortion language of the Committee
bill, which would prohibit the use of both Federal and District funds to pay
for abortions except in those cases where the life of the mother is endangered
or in situations of rape or incest. The Administration continues to view this
prohibition on the use of local funds as an unwarranted intrusion into the
affairs of the District and would support an amendment, if offered, to strike
this prohibition.
The Administration understands that an amendment may be offered that would
limit the use of a portion of the D.C. prison construction funds for housing
inmates in private contract facilities. The Administration strongly opposes
such a restriction on the use of these funds as it would hinder the Bureau of
Prisons' ability to house serious violent offenders in a timely and cost
effective manner. The amendment is not needed since the Revitalization Act
already requires that fifty percent of D.C. inmates be housed in private
contract facilities.
The Administration urges the Senate to consider an amendment that would make
funds collected by the D.C. Courts available to the Courts for necessary
expenses, including the funding of pension costs.
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