THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
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For Immediate Release November 1,
2000
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
Today I am pleased to sign into law S. 2412, the "National
Transportation Safety Board Amendments Act of 2000." The National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent agency charged with
determining the probable cause of transporta-tion accidents and promoting
transportation safety. This Act will enhance transportation safety by
authorizing appropriations for the NTSB to investigate accidents, conduct
safety studies, evaluate the effectiveness of other transportation accident
prevention programs, and coordinate Federal assistance for families of
victims of catastrophic transportation accidents.
The Act will further advance transportation safety by prohibiting the
disclosure of information from cockpit video recorders, or information from
recorders installed on other modes of transportation. It also provides the
NTSB with addi-tional tools to carry out its mission, including
strengthening the Board's financial management and authorizing the NTSB to
enter into agreements with foreign governments to provide technical
assistance and accident investigative services. It is my understanding
that, prior to entering into agreements with foreign governments, the NTSB
will consult with me to avoid any interference with my sole constitutional
authority to conduct diplomatic negotiations; and that this provision in no
way derogates from the Case-Zablocki Act (Title 1, Section 112b U.S.C.),
which requires prior consultation with the Secretary of State.
The Act also includes a provision which authorizes the NTSB to
establish an overtime pay schedule which is distinct from the rest of the
Government. I am disappointed that the Congress has chosen not to address
overtime reform in a compre-hensive manner, as proposed by my
Administration, to reform overtime pay for all employees who work long
hours in response to emergency situations. We hope to continue to work
with the Congress to provide a fair and equitable overtime pay structure
for all such Federal employees. In the meantime, the NTSB should develop
plans to implement the overtime pay provision in consultation with the
Office of Personnel Management, and the NTSB should absorb the costs of
implementing this provision within its appropriated levels.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
THE WHITE HOUSE,
November 1, 2000.
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