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May 25, 1999
(House)


H.R. 1833 - Trade Agency Authorizations, Drug Free Borders,
and Prevention of On-Line Child Pornography Act of 1999
(Crane (R) Illinois)

The Administration strongly supports the objective of H.R. 1833, which is to increase efforts by the U.S. Customs Service to reduce the entry of illicit narcotics into the United States and prevent child pornography. The Administration opposes certain provisions of H.R. 1833 that would amend the annual cap on overtime pay for Customs inspectors. These provisions should be considered in the context of achieving overall consistency in pay, including overtime and its treatment for retirement purposes, between the Customs Service and similarly situated Federal inspection service agencies.

In addition, the President's FY 2000 Budget proposes levels of discretionary spending that meet important national needs while conforming to the Bipartisan Budget Agreement by making savings proposals in mandatory and other programs available to help finance this spending. The Administration urges the Congress to consider such proposals. In particular, with respect to this bill, the Administration urges the Congress to consider its proposals for Customs user fees.

The Administration looks forward to working with the Congress to: (1) address the concerns noted above; (2) conform the authorization levels to those in the President's Budget; and (3) provide for greater flexibility in the allocation of resources and the selection of technologies.