Speech #1050067946

I rise to explain my vote yesterday against the conference report on H.R. 2015. the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and to express my opposition to adoption today of the conference report on H.R. 2014. the Revenue Reconciliation Act. Reconciliation has always meant one bill on revenues and spending. and these two bills must be viewed as a single package. As many speakers before me have said. there are good things in both billsrestored SSI and Medicaid for legal immigrants. tax credits for children and for education. funds for health insurance tor uninsured children. empowerment zones and brownfields. Medicare coverage of preventive services. funds to soften some ot the worst provisions of last years welfare reform. Both bills are certainly far. far better than the versions that passed the House and the Senate--gone are the hits on Medicare beneficiaries. the consignment of workfare participants to a second class status. denial of child tax credits to lower income working families. indexing of capital gains rates. expansion of the definition of "independent contractor"and Democrats. including the gentleman from New York [Mr.