FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 1997
No. FC-1
Congressman Archer (R-TX), Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Committee will hold hearings on President Clinton's fiscal year 1998 budget proposals that are under the jurisdiction of the Committee. The hearings will take place on Tuesday, February 11, 1997, beginning at 10:00 a.m. and Wednesday, February 12, 1997, beginning at 9:30 a.m., in the main Committee hearing room, 1100 Longworth House Office Building.
In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at these hearings will be heard from Administration witnesses only. On February 11, testimony will be heard from Secretary of the Treasury Robert E. Rubin. On the morning of February 12, testimony will be heard from Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna E. Shalala, and in the afternoon from Donald C. Lubick, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Tax Policy. However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.
BACKGROUND:
On February 6, President Clinton will submit his fiscal year 1998 budget to the Congress. The official presentation of the Administration's tax, Medicare, and welfare proposals represents the beginning of the process towards agreement on a balanced budget by fiscal year 2002.
In announcing the hearings, Chairman Archer stated: "These hearings are the first of many opportunities the Administration will have to present their plan to balance the budget. I am eager to hear the President's proposal for ending decades of deficit spending. I am hopeful these hearings will mark the start of a bipartisan commitment to get our job done."
FOCUS OF THE HEARING:
The Committee will receive testimony on the President's revenue proposals from Secretary Rubin. In addition, the Secretary is expected to discuss general spending trends, and revenue and deficit projections, including economic trends forecast by the Administration.
The following day, the Committee will focus on the details of the Administration's Medicare and welfare proposals, and additional details of the Administration's revenue proposals.
DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:
Any person or organization wishing to submit a written statement for the printed record of the hearing should submit at least six (6) copies of their statement and a 3.5 inch diskette in WordPerfect or ASCII format, with their address and date of hearing noted, by the close of business, Thursday, February 27, 1997, to A. L. Singleton, Chief of Staff, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives, 1102 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. If those filing written statements wish to have their statements distributed to the press and interested public at the hearing, they may deliver 200 additional copies for this purpose to the Committee office, room 1102 Longworth House Office Building, at least one hour before the hearing begins.
FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:
Each statement presented for printing to the Committee by a witness, any written statement or exhibit submitted for the printed record or any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below. Any statement or exhibit not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
1. All statements and any accompanying exhibits for printing must be typed in single space on legal-size paper and may not exceed a total of 10pages including attachments. At same time written statements are submitted to the Committee, witnesses are now requested to submit their statements on 3.5 inch diskette in WordPerfect or ASCII format.
2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased. All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
3. A witness appearing at a public hearing, or submitting a statement for the record of a public hearing, or submitting written comments in response to a published request for comments by the Committee, must include on his statement or submission a list of all clients, persons, or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.
4. A supplemental sheet must accompany each statement listing the name, full address, a telephone number where the witness or the designated representative may be reached and a topical outline or summary of the comments and recommendations in the full statement. This supplemental sheet will not be included in the printed record.
The above restrictions and limitations apply only to material being submitted for printing. Statements and exhibits or supplementary material submitted solely for distribution to the Members, the press and the public during the course of a public hearing may be submitted in other forms.
The
Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with
disabilities. If you are in need of special accommodations, please
call 202-225-1721 or 202-225-1904 TTD/TTY in advance of the event
(four business days notice is requested). Questions with regard to
special accommodation needs in general (including availability of
Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the
Committee as noted above.