Remarks to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Sept 22, 1997

It also opens the doors of college to all Americans for the first time in history with the biggest increase in support for people going to college since the GI bill passed 50 years ago. There's the largest increase in Pell grants in more than two decades, a $1,500 HOPE scholarship tax credit to open the doors of the first 2 years of college to all Americans, and further tax credits for all higher education for people of all ages, because we know we have to have a system of lifetime learning in America, and we should support that for people of all ages.

Despite a strong work ethic and falling unemployment, however, despite exploding numbers of new Hispanic-owned businesses, Hispanic family income is not yet rising. And one of the biggest reasons for this disparity in income is that too many young Latinos continue to drop out of school. The dropout rate for Hispanic-Americans remains far above the rates for whites or African-Americans. Many of these young people leave school for responsible reasons - to begin to help their families by working. But, increasingly, in a global economy, we must teach our children that responsibility means staying in school and going the whole route.

We have organized an intense effort in the White House to address the dropout problem of Hispanic-American students. I instructed Gene Sperling, the head of the National Economic Council, Maria Echaveste, who heads our Office of Public Liaison, Mickey Ibarra, who heads our Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, and our Education Secretary, Dick Riley, to evaluate all of our current programs and identify what more we can do right now to help young Latinos reach their potential.

I am pleased that Senator Bingaman and Representative Hinojosa will soon introduce the "National Dropout Prevention Act of 1997" to establish a coordinated national strategy for lower dropout rates for Hispanics and others who should have their dropout rates lower. I want to ask you to help us with this. We need your support.

Let me also say, in the context of education, that balanced budget agreement just set a framework for the next 2 years. Every single year we have to make sure that the congressional appropriations are faithful to the agreement. And I ask your support in helping us and helping the Members of Congress make sure that those investments are there.

And in that connection, let me tell you, I, at least, and I think most of you, are quite concerned by the recent, very narrow decision in the Senate to support the Gorton amendment that would block-grant virtually all Federal education funds to the States. That's a step in the wrong direction, because whatever its intent, the effect of the amendment is to shift funds away from the schools that serve our neediest children. And unless we can persuade them to change it, I will not hesitate to use my veto power to prevent that hasty decision from becoming the law of the land.

Let me also say that that budget did one more thing that I want to emphasize - it did a lot of good things, including providing health insurance for up to 5 million American children, many of whom will be Hispanic children and the children of hard-working people who work all day, every day, but can't get health insurance at work. It also kept a promise I made last year to restore benefits to legal immigrants who come to this country legally, work hard, and contribute to our society. And I thank the Members of Congress who are here who made that possible.