Nancy Pelosi: “I rise in support of the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill for fiscal 1998, as presented. In particular, I commend…”

“I rise in support of the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill for fiscal 1998, as presented. In particular, I commend our chairman, the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Livingston], chairman of the full committee; the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Porter]; and the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey], ranking member of the full committee and ranking member of the subcommittee, for negotiating an excellent bipartisan bill, a bill in which the subcommittee can take considerable pride. This bill is a refreshing change from the last 2 years when the bill has been the focus of deep ideological disputes in spite of the good intentions of our chairmen, and a vehicle for sending objectionable legislative riders to the President. Thankfully, we have returned to the bipartisan tradition which has historically characterized this bill. As our former chairman, Mr. Natcher, would say, this is a good bill. The bill makes significant changes in job training, including the Job Corps, and increases for job, youth, and adult job training by $237 million over this year's funding. At the same time, the bill adequately funds worker protection programs, and unlike the last 2 years, does not include riders designed to weaken the protection of American workers.”