Copyright 2001 The Atlanta Constitution  
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
January 23, 2001, Tuesday, Home Edition
SECTION: News; Pg. 6A

LENGTH: 610 words

HEADLINE: Democrats' bills brash for split Senate;
Legislation echoes Gore agenda

BYLINE: Scott Shepard, Cox Washington Bureau

SOURCE: CONSTITUTION

BODY:
Washington --- Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle unveiled his party's first 11 bills Monday, staking out a surprisingly tough negotiating position in legislative differences with President Bush and the new administration's Republican allies on Capitol Hill.

Though Daschle repeated the pledges of cooperation that have marked the exchanges between both parties in the weeks since Bush's election, the legislation he introduced Monday is made up largely of measures over which the presidential contest was fought to a bitter conclusion.

But some of the key measures are nearly identical to bills that a majority of lawmakers have previously supported and could, therefore, pose a political risk to the new president, if he is put in the position of vetoing popular measures.

Campaign finance reform pushed by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Russell Feingold (D-Wis.), a patients' bill of rights, Medicare prescription drug coverage and an expanded federal hate crimes law were backed by majorities in previous sessions of Congress. But the majorities were not large enough to stop opponents from using parliamentary procedures to thwart their efforts.

"We are willing to negotiate," Daschle, of South Dakota, said Monday. But he also emphasized that the Democrats in the now evenly split 100-member Senate are committed to "fundamental principles."

The White House did not respond immediately to the Democratic legislative package, some of which the president opposed in his election contest with Democratic candidate Al Gore.

Senate Republican leader Trent Lott said the GOP's initial bills, which have not yet been introduced, would mirror Bush's approach to the priorities he laid out in the campaign: education, taxes, Medicare, Social Security and national defense.

Lott, of Mississippi, noted that the GOP legislative package also would address the nation's energy supply, an issue that got little attention in the presidential campaign but has become a priority with the wave of electricity blackouts in California.

"How many times do we need to be shaken to wake up?" Lott said of the California energy crisis.

Daschle said the first 11 Democratic bills introduced Monday, the first day in which both parties could introduce legislation in the new Congress, involve issues "on which most of us do agree" and could, therefore, " strengthen our bonds of trust."

"And that," he added, "will make it easier for us to solve the next challenges."

However, the Daschle-backed package was plucked almost entirely from the platform on which Gore, not Bush, ran for president:

Tax cuts targeted to working families rather than across the board.

A so-called patients' bill of rights to give patients and their doctors greater clout in dealing with HMOs and insurers.

A voluntary prescription drug benefit under Medicare.

Increased education spending for new teachers, school rehabilitation, expanded Head Start and Reading Excellence programs and accountability standards for failing public schools.

Raising the minimum wage by $ 1.50 an hour.

Changing laws governing weapons sales at gun shows.

Campaign finance reform that follows the general outline of the McCain- Feingold measure, but adding a blue-ribbon commission to review the last presidential contest.

Expanding federal hate crime laws and additional spending on community policing.

Extending health care insurance coverage from low-income children to their parents.

Placing Medicare and Social Security funding in a budgetary "lock box."

In addition, Daschle said he will develop a comprehensive measure designed to help ailing farming communities.

GRAPHIC: Photo
President Bush welcomes (from left) House GOP leader Dick Armey, House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Senate GOP chief Trent Lott. / J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE / Associated Press

LOAD-DATE: January 23, 2001