What Actually Happened With The 1994 “Contract With America”?
Posted: Friday, January 22, 2010
by Joel Hendon
http://hebronics.org/index.html
When Bill Clinton won the presidential election in 1992, he did so with only 43% of the votes. Both houses of congress were majority Democrats and the Republicans had not enjoyed that position for forty years. When the First Lady, Hillary began to propose a universal healthcare reform plan, it became quite unpopular, not only with the minority party but also with the public and many Democrats.
The text of this brilliant historical document can be read in it's entirety at: http://hebronics.org/government/contractamer.html
It accomplished it's purpose and resulted in a majority change in both houses. So, what developed from these promises? The Republicans of the House, did indeed follow through with their promises and below you will see hat happened to the bills, once they were presented:
The Fiscal Responsibility Act
This was to be a constitutional amendment which made a balanced budget mandatory unless sanctioned by three-fifths vote in both houses. The House passed the bill by 300-132. But barely failed in the Senate 65-35. (2/3 needed)
The Personal Responsibility Act
An act to discourage illegitimacy and limit support for children of unwed mothers after the first one. Also to require paternal support in such cases, and several other measures to lower the welfare costs. The measure passed the House vote by 234-199, passed by the Senate 87-12 but vetoed by President Clinton. About one year later, however, a similar bill was enacted.
The Taking Back Our Streets Act
This developed into a package of 4 bills. "The Exclusionary Exemption Reform Rule Act" "The Effective Death Penalty Act" "Violent Criminal Incarceration Act" and "Local Law Enforcement Block Grants Act".
The American Dream Restoration Act
A bill to provide $500 tax credit per child, and to repeal the marriage tax penalty. Also to create savings plans that would enable middle class to realize some tax relief. Passed the House by 246-188.
The National Security Restoration Act
An act to prevent U.S. Troops from serving under U.N. Command unless deemed necessary by the president to protect our national security. To reduce funding to U.S. for peace keeping operations and also to integrate the Warsaw Pact nations into NATO. Passed the House by 241-281.
The Common Sense Legal Reform Act
To discourage frivolous lawsuits by "loser pays" laws, place limits on punitive damages and weakening the product liability laws in order to prevent frivolous lawsuits. Passed House by 265-161, passed by Senate 61-37, but vetoed by President Clinton. (This seems to me to be one of our most needed laws...strict tort reform...it makes our insurance higher, our medical expenses higher and makes the trial lawyers fat, along with certain politicians JHH)
The Job Creation and Wage Enhancement Act
This was listed as one promise on the contract yet ended up in four bills to be presented to the House floor.
HR 5 To require federal funding for state spending mandated by congress. Passed 360-74. It was conferenced by a similar Senate bill and enacted.
HR 450 Requiring a moratorium on implementing any federal regulations until June 30. 1995. It was passed by the House 276-146. A companion bill in the Senate also passed but the two bills never got out of conference by the scheduled date.
HR 925 Required Federal Government to compensate property owners if any government action lowered the value of their property by 20% or more. Passed 277-148.
HR 926 Required Federal agencies to provide cost-benefit analysis on any regulation costing $50 million or more annually and to be signed off on by the Office of Management and Budget, an allowed small businesses to sue the agency if they believed the analysis was not performed properly as required. It passed the House by vote of 415-14.
The Citizen Legislature Act
This bill required that limits of 6 terms by Representatives (12 years) and 2 terms by Senators (12 years) The bill was for a constitutional amendment which required a 2/3 vote and failed to gain that many, even in the House. 227-204.
There were several other features in their contract, the repeal of the taxes placed on Social Security benefits in1993, incentives for adoptions, stronger child pornography laws, and more.
Many things of value were accomplished by this contract while many were not. However, credit must be given for the effort. Here is a quote from Wikipedia:
However, since the Contract only promised to "bring to the House Floor the following bills, each to be given full and open debate, each to be given a clear and fair vote and each to be immediately available this day for public inspection and scrutiny" , the Contract did accomplish its promises, even if some bills failed in votes or fell to presidential vetoes. (Wikipedia)
As a blueprint for the policy of the new Congressional majority, Micklethwait & Wooldridge argue in The Right Nation that the Contract placed the Congress firmly back in the driver's seat of domestic government policy for most of the 104th Congress, and placed the Clinton White House firmly on the defensive. (Ibid)
Never before, or since, has such an effort been made in congress to try and perform the purpose they were there for, to satisfy their constituents. I personally commend the authors and signers of this contract. It was responsible for the only balanced budget in decades. You might want to compare the present deficit with that.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)My wishlist for a new contract with America.
1. Establish a 10th Amendment commission made up of State appointees. The purpose is to determine what power that has been assumed by the Federal Government violates the constitution limitations and begin either abolishing those roles or transitioning them back to the States.
(I call the next set of planks "Roll Back Woodrow Wilson)
2. Repeal the 16th Amendment. Abolish the IRS and the income tax. Replace them with a national retail sales tax. See FairTax(dot)org
3. Repeal the 17th Amendment. Return Senators to the service of the States.
4. Abolish the Federal Reserve. Return our monetary system to a precious metals backed system.
The general theme of the above 4 points is the decentralization of power from both Washington and "Wall Street." It also rolls back some Marxist policies as an added bonus.
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