Clinton Says Congress Should Take Action, Not Vacation

President Clinton scolded the Republican-controlled Congress on Saturday for planning a spring break without acting on gun safety, a patients’ bill of rights and his other priorities.

In every case, he said in his weekly radio address, delay has real consequences for Americans’ health and safety.

Clinton said he was especially concerned that Congress has not acted on legislation to improve gun safety, to raise the minimum wage by $1 an hour and to pass “a strong and enforceable” patients’ bill of rights.

“With only a week to go before recess, I ask the congressional leaders to think about these daily tallies: 12 children dying from gunfire, thousands of managed-care patients suffering unnecessary declines in health, millions of working families missing out on a long-overdue raise,” the president said.

“So let’s get back on track,” he said. “Let’s work together to protect the health, the safety, the welfare of the American people.”

In response, the chairman of the Republican National Committee said that Clinton and Vice President Al Gore have dragged their feet on tax cuts, balancing the budget and other measures.

Clinton noted it has been nine months since the Senate passed a bill to require child safety locks for every handgun sold, ban the import of large ammunition clips and close what he called a loophole that allows buyers at gun shows to avoid background checks. But the House has not brought the bill to a vote, he said.

But Rep. J.C. Watts Jr. (R-Okla.), House Republican Conference chairman, said the House this week intends to address the issue of guns with a program called Project Exile that would increase enforcement of existing gun laws and give states and local communities more resources to protect people from gun violence.

Clinton said the very least that can be done is to produce a final gun bill by April 20, the first anniversary of the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo.

The president told supporters at a New Orleans fund-raiser, “I think that it will keep kids alive.”

On health care, the president said he could sign a patients’ protection bill already passed by the House but that action was blocked when the Senate passed “a much weaker bill.”

“Now both bills have been gathering dust on a shelf for five months,” he said.

He said the legislation is needed to guarantee that patients in managed care programs can see specialists when needed and receive the best medical advice from doctors, not just the cheapest.

The legislation Clinton seeks would also guarantee an appeal by patients in cases of disagreement and grant rights to hold a health plan accountable “if it causes them great harm.”

Clinton also said there has been too much delay in acting on legislation to increase the minimum wage.

“A dollar an hour--it may not sound like much, but in the seven months that have gone by since our legislation would have gone into effect, families have lost more than $600 in income.

“For hard-pressed families, the cost of congressional delay can be measured not just by the day but literally by the hour,” Clinton said.