Clinton Signs Federal Worker Buyout Plan

President Clinton, in California on a weeklong vacation, Wednesday signed into law legislation that will offer federal workers buyouts of up to $25,000 as a means of trimming the federal work force.

The measure is part of an effort to cut 272,900 federal workers and drop the total number of government workers below 2 million for the first time since 1966. In a statement, Clinton said the legislation would give the government the incentives it needs to eliminate unnecessary high-level jobs, while avoiding layoffs that would disproportionately hit younger workers, “many of whom are recently hired women and minorities.”

The bill provides that federal workers with 12 months of continuous service will be able to take severance pay or a lump sum of $25,000, whichever is less, when they leave the government.

Today Clinton has scheduled a public signing of the Goals 2000 education legislation at the Agustin Vincent Zamorano Fine Arts Academy in San Diego. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton will join him for the signing of the bill, which calls for creation of voluntary national standards for the content of course work.

Clinton divided the rest of Wednesday between foreign-policy briefings, jogging, walking and a round of golf at Del Mar Country Club. Clinton’s briefings came from National Security Adviser Anthony Lake, who flew to San Diego Tuesday night.

At the end of an early-morning walk with his wife, Clinton shook hands with people in a crowd across the street from the Ocean Boulevard home of hotelier H. Larry Lawrence, where the Clintons are staying until Saturday. He was serenaded by Glen Erath, a gag writer for KFMB Radio, who played a guitar and sang:

“I’ve got a Big Mac in my bag, a song in my heart, let’s picnic in the sand.” Clinton, looking amused, told Erath, “That’s a great song,” and shook his hand.