Proclamation 7285.
8,194 words·~37 min read·
/statutes-at-large/vol-114/proclamation-7285·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
114 STAT. 3275 Proclamation 7285 of March 31, 2000 National Child Abuse Prevention Month, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Children are our link to the future and our hope for a better tomorrow. Within a few short years, we will look to today’s children for the vision, strength, creativity, and leadership to guide our Nation through the challenges of this new century. If they are to grow into healthy, happy adults and responsible citizens, we must provide our children with the love, nurturing, and protection they need and deserve.
However, many of America’s children are not safe, even in their own homes. The statistics are staggering. Every year, there are nearly one million reported incidents of child abuse; and even more disturbing, more than 2,000 of these incidents result in the child’s death. Whether suffering neglect, harsh physical punishment, sexual abuse, or psychological trauma, the children who survive will carry the scars of their abuse for the rest of their lives. We now know that there are a variety of risk factors that contribute to child abuse and neglect-including parental substance abuse, lack of parenting skills and knowledge, domestic violence, or extreme stress- and there are practical measures and programs we can use to mitigate such factors.
Social service providers can offer substance abuse programs for adults with children; schools can offer educational programs to teach parenting skills to teen mothers or instruct children on how to protect themselves from sexual predators; faith organizations can offer respite care for parents of children with special needs; and employers can introduce family-friendly policies, from child care to parental leave to flexible work schedules, to reduce the stress on working families.
Keeping children safe is a community responsibility, and prevention must be a community task. Every segment of society must be involved, including health and law enforcement professionals, schools, businesses, the media, government agencies, community and faith organizations, and especially parents themselves. Teachers and physicians need to recognize the symptoms of child abuse; parents need to ask for help in overcoming addictions or controlling violent behavior; communities must be willing to fund programs and services to protect children from abuse; and the media needs to raise public awareness of the availability of those programs and services.
My Administration is committed to doing its part to ensure the health and well-being of all our Nation’s children. We have worked to increase funding at the State level for child protection programs and family preservation services. Working with the Congress, we have enacted the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and the Adoption and Safe Families Act, and we have established the Safe and Stable Families Program. Just a few weeks ago, I signed into law the Child Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Act, which gives State and local officials greater flexibility in using Department of Justice grant programs to prevent child abuse and neglect.
This new legislation will increase funding to enforce child abuse and neglect laws, to enhance the investigation of child abuse and neglect crimes, and to promote programs to 114 STAT. 3276prevent such abuse and neglect. Through these and other measures, we continue our efforts to create a society where every child is cherished and no child bears the lasting scars of abuse or neglect. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2000 as National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
I call upon all Americans to observe this month by demonstrating our gratitude to those who work to keep our children safe, and by taking action in our own communities to make them healthy places where children can grow and thrive. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7286 April 1, 2000 Census Day, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 7286 of April 1, 2000 Census Day, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Every 10 years, as mandated by our Constitution, all persons living in the United States are called upon to participate in the census.
As the foremost method of gathering information about our Nation, the census plays a crucial role in helping us to maintain our democratic form of government. An accurate census helps to ensure that the rights and needs of every person are recorded and recognized as we shape public policies, programs, and services. Too often in the past, children, minorities, and low-income individuals have not been counted and, as a result, have not been fully and fairly served. Census data are also used to determine the number of seats each State is allocated in the U.S.
House of Representatives, and State and local governments depend upon these data to draw legislative districts that accurately represent their residents. The census also serves as the basis for many public funding and private investment decisions. Census results play a part in determining the portion each State receives of more than $185 billion in funds distributed by the Federal Government each year. State and local public officials use census data to decide where to build public facilities such as schools, roads, hospitals, and libraries.
Census data also are a valuable resource for businesses that are trying to identify where to build stores, office buildings, or shopping centers. The census is unique. It reaches every population group, from America’s long-time residents to its most recent immigrants, and every age group from newborns to centenarians. The census touches every social class and every racial and ethnic group. The census is truly a democratic process in which we all can participate.114 STAT. 3277 Census 2000 offers each of us an important opportunity to shape the future of our Nation.
By taking part, we help ensure the well-being of our families and our communities, and we fulfill one of our fundamental civic duties. The U.S. Census Bureau has taken unprecedented steps to ensure full participation in this first census of the new millennium. At the same time, the Bureau will continue its long tradition of protecting the personal information of America’s citizens, and no other Government agency will be able to see any individual or family census form. I strongly urge every man and woman living in the United States to fill out and return his or her census form or to cooperate with census takers who will help them do so.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 1, 2000, as Census Day. I call upon all the people of the United States to observe this day with ceremonies, activities, and programs that raise awareness of the importance of participating in Census 2000. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7287 April 7, 2000 National Volunteer Week, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 7287 of April 7, 2000 National Volunteer Week, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Each year our Nation is blessed by the service of more than 100 million Americans who take time out of their busy lives to reach out to those in need. Volunteers come from every age group and walk of life, yet they share a common conviction: that by giving of themselves, they can bridge the divide between strangers, create stronger families, and build better communities.
National Volunteer Week offers us a chance to thank the many volunteers whose work and compassion add so much to the quality of our lives. It also gives those who have never volunteered the opportunity to learn more about the many organizations that would benefit from their time and talents. People who enjoy sports can volunteer at a Special Olympics event; those who love the arts can work as docents in a gallery or historic home; those who love to read can share that love through a literacy program.
Our success with the AmeriCorps program demonstrates the power and promise of community service in America. Since we passed the National and Community Service Trust Act in 1993, more than 150,000 young people have served in AmeriCorps. They have taught or mentored more than 4 million children; helped to immunize more than a million people; worked to build some 11,000 homes; and sparked a new spirit of community service across our Nation. In my proposed budget for fiscal 2001, I have included funding to reach our goal of 114 STAT. 3278100,000 AmeriCorps members in service each year.
I have also outlined a new AmeriCorps Reserves program that will allow us to call upon AmeriCorps alumni during times of special need, such as following natural disasters. The Corporation for National Service will commit $10 million to create a new “E-corps”—750 qualified AmeriCorps volunteers who will help to bring digital opportunity to communities by providing technical support to school computer systems, tutoring at Community Technology Centers, and offering technical training for careers in the information technology sector.
Through a new Community Coaches program, we will place adults in 1,000 schools to help engage students in service programs that will connect them to the wider community. And through new Youth Empowerment Grants, we will reward social entrepreneurship among young people who are seeking solutions to problems such as youth violence and alienation. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., reminded us that “everyone can be great because anyone can serve.” During National Volunteer Week, let us pause to thank all who have responded to that call to greatness, and let each of us make our own commitments to volunteer in our neighborhoods and communities.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 9 through April 15, 2000, as National Volunteer Week, I call upon all Americans to observe this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities to express appreciation to the volunteers among us for their commitment to service and to encourage the spirit of volunteerism in our families and communities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7288 April 8, 2000 Pan American Day and Pan American Week, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 7288 of April 8, 2000 Pan American Day and Pan American Week, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation This year on Pan American Day and during Pan American Week, we celebrate the springtime of a new century in which the fundamental ideals of democracy and human rights are blossoming across our hemisphere.
We stand at the threshold of a new era of economic development and prosperity with a common determination to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities that face the Americas. Building on the agreements forged at the last two Summits of the Americas in Miami and Santiago, we are witnessing unprecedented cooperation within our hemisphere. Efforts such as the negotiations on a Free Trade Area of the Americas, now progressing toward a concrete agreement in 2005, exemplify our commitment to building a self-sustaining and widely shared prosperity.
We continue to work creatively 114 STAT. 3279through the Organization of American States to encourage constitutional solutions to political crises such as those that occurred in Paraguay and Ecuador. And we have witnessed elections in our region that were models of civic participation and a testament to the strength and vibrancy of democratic government in the Western Hemisphere. Such achievements illustrate that the well-being of our neighbors is fundamental to our own security and prosperity.
We look forward to the Third Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, where the democratically elected leaders of 34 nations from North, Central, and South America will gather to review our progress, identify new challenges, and further enhance our cooperation. Even with our significant progress, however, challenges remain. The 34 free and democratically elected nations of this hemisphere must work together to ensure that Cuba, the only country that has not embraced our common vision, becomes a member of our community of democracies.
By doing so, we can ensure that all the people in our hemisphere share in the blessings of freedom and in the promise of the global economy, living and working and raising their families in dignity and with hope for the future. NOW, THEREFORE I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Friday, April 14, 2000, as Pan American Day and April 9 through April 15, 2000 as Pan American Week.
I urge the Governors of the 50 States, the Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the officials of other areas under the flag of the United States to honor these observances with appropriate ceremonies and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7289 April 8, 2000 National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 7289 of April 8, 2000 National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation As we stand at the dawn of a new century, we reflect with pride on all that our Nation has accomplished in the 224 years since we first declared our independence.
Today we enjoy unprecedented peace and prosperity, and, as it has for generations, America shines as a beacon of democracy, freedom, and opportunity for peoples around the world. Yet the blessings we rejoice in today were won at great cost. Millions of young Americans who stepped forward in times of crisis or conflict to defend our Nation and uphold our values around the world sacrificed their freedom and lost their lives. The century just past will forever be known as the American century, not only because of our economic strength, military might, and technological prowess, but also 114 STAT. 3280because of the character, determination, and indomitable spirit our people demonstrated time and again.
That character and spirit have never been more evident than when Americans have been held captive as prisoners of war. Suffering hunger, fear, isolation, and uncertainty, stripped of their freedom and often subjected to physical and psychological torture. American POWs nonetheless continued to serve our Nation with honor, dignity, and remarkable courage. For many, the long, agonizing days stretched into years, and the loss of freedom and the cruel separation from family, home, and friends left scars that the passage of time can never erase.
We owe a profound debt of gratitude to these heroes who stood face to face with the forces of tyranny and oppression, true to our country and to the spirit of freedom even in captivity. We owe a debt as well to their families, whose faith and fortitude have been an unceasing source of strength to our Nation in many of our darkest hours. As we observe this special day for the first time in this new century, let us remember and honor the sacrifices of America’s prisoners of war and their families; and let us keep faith with them by remaining resolute in defending liberty and securing a just and peaceful world for the generations to come.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 9, 2000, as National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day. I call upon all Americans to join me in remembering former American prisoners of war who suffered the hardships of enemy captivity. I also call upon Federal, State, and local government officials and private organizations to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies, programs, and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7290 April 10, 2000 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 7290 of April 10, 2000 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation This week marks the 20th anniversary of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
Over the past two decades, we have made enormous progress in our efforts to build safer communities and to reshape our criminal justice system so that it better protects victims’ rights and responds more compassionately to their needs. In the 7 years since I first proclaimed National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, my Administration has worked hard to achieve some of the most progressive criminal justice reforms in our Nation’s history. Recognizing the urgent plea from millions of Americans to restore safety 114 STAT. 3281and security to their neighborhoods, in 1994 I signed into law the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. which funds 100,000 additional police officers to fight crime and protect our citizens.
In Federal court cases, this law also gives victims of violent crime and sexual abuse the right to speak out in court before sentencing. providing them the opportunity to describe the impact such victimization has had on their lives. To help protect our communities from gun violence, we enacted the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. requiring background checks for potential handgun purchasers. Since its passage, more than 500,000 attempted gun purchases by felons, fugitives, and other prohibited persons have been prevented, saving an untold number of lives.
And we worked to pass the assault weapons ban to keep these deadly firearms off our streets. We also fought to pass the Violence Against Women Act, which addresses the complex dynamics of gender-motivated violence and seeks to ensure justice for women who live in daily fear for their safety and often for their lives. By providing support services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and empowering prosecutors with new tools to target offenders, we have sent a clear message that our society will not tolerate violence against women.
Thanks to the concerted efforts of crime victims’ advocates, many of whom are survivors themselves, government at all levels is focused on ensuring victims’ rights. Today, all States have enacted laws safeguarding crime victims’ rights in the criminal justice process, and 32 States have amended their constitutions accordingly. Despite this progress, millions of Americans still fall prey to criminals each year. In the past year alone, gun violence alone has taken an enormous toll across our Nation.
To address this, my Administration has proposed the 21st Century Policing Initiative to provide 50,000 more police officers for our streets, requested more funding for our Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative to reduce school and youth violence, and put forth the largest national gun enforcement initiative in our Nation’s history. I continue to call on the Congress to strengthen our Nation’s hate crime laws and to pass commonsense gun legislation to keep guns out of the wrong hands; and we should pass the Victims’ Rights Amendment to the Constitution.
Criminal victimization is at its lowest level in 25 years, but we can do more. As we observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, as we near the fifth anniversary of the tragic bombing in Oklahoma City and the first anniversary of the shooting at Columbine High School, let us vow to continue working together to prevent crime and violence. Let us also pledge to honor the needs and rights of victims whose lives have been forever altered by crime. And let us recognize the courage and determination of the thousands of men and women across our country who dedicate themselves daily to the protection of victims’ rights.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 9 to April 15, 2000. as National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. I urge all Americans to remember crime victims and their families by working to reduce violence, to assist those harmed by crime, and to 114 STAT. 3282make our communities and homes safer places in which to live and raise our families.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7291 April 12, 2000 National D.A.R.E. Day, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 7291 of April 12, 2000 National D.A.R.E. Day, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Children face many challenges in today’s complex society.
Peer pressure to abuse drugs and alcohol; negative influences in films, music, television, and videos: school violence; gang activities; fear and low self-esteem—any or all of these pressures can lead young people to make unwise choices that can jeopardize their future and even their lives. Since 1983, however, there has been a strong positive influence in the lives of America’s children that is helping them to navigate safely through these dangers and uncertainties: Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.).
D.A.R.E. was developed jointly by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District and continues to draw its strength from partnerships among law enforcement officials, schools, parents, and communities. Under the program, specially trained police officers conduct classroom lessons designed to teach children from kindergarten through the 12th grade how to make healthy choices, overcome negative influences, avoid destructive behavior, and resist the lure of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.
The D.A.R.E. curriculum has several components designed to meet the changing needs of students as they mature. From the visitation program for children in kindergarten and the early elementary school years to the core curriculum for highly vulnerable fifth and sixth graders to reinforcement programs for middle school, junior high, and senior high students, D.A.R.E. helps young people of all ages develop the skills and self-confidence to recognize and resist negative influences.
And this year, D.A.R.E. has pledged to use a specialized curriculum to reach out to thousands of parents and help them talk to their children about drugs. My Administration is also taking forceful measures to help our young people make the decision to reject drugs. We are continuing to expand the unprecedented National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign in order to change the attitudes of an entire generation of young people; a campaign that is working across all race, gender, grade level, and income lines.
The campaign is already paying dividends for American families: studies show that growing numbers of parents are talking to their children about the dangers of drug use, and youth drug use is down 13 percent in just one year. We have also expanded the Safe and Drug-Free Schools program and the Drug-Free Communities program.114 STAT. 3283 Through efforts like these and the commitment of programs like D.A.R.E., we can ensure that America’s children have the skills, self-esteem, and guidance they need to reject substance abuse and violence and to create for themselves a bright and healthy future.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 13, 2000, as National D.A.R.E. Day. I call upon our youth, parents, educators, and all the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, 1 have hereunto set my hand this twelfth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7292 April 14, 2000 National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 7292 of April 14, 2000 National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Organ and tissue transplantation offers us the extraordinary opportunity to share with others one of our most precious gifts—the gift of life. By donating tissues and organs, living donors and the families who have lost loved ones are rewarded with the knowledge that they have saved and enhanced many lives.
Thanks to donors’ generosity and compassion, transplant recipients across our country are able to work, care for their families, and look forward to a brighter future. Thanks to donors’ selflessness, many children who were not expected to see their first birthday are playing, learning to walk, and entering school. The future of the thousands of Americans awaiting transplants, however. depends on the willingness of their fellow citizens to become organ and tissue donors. More than 68,000 patients are on the national organ transplant waiting list; each day, 13 of them will die because the organs they need have not been donated; and every 16 minutes, a new name will be added to that waiting list.
To address this critical and growing need, Vice President Gore and Secretary of Health and Human Services Shalala launched the National Organ and Tissue Donation Initiative in December of 1997. This public-private partnership was designed to raise awareness of the success of organ and tissue transplantation and to educate our citizens about the urgent need for increased donation. Working with partners such as health care organizations, estate planning attorneys, faith communities, educational organizations, the media, minority organizations, and business leaders, the Initiative is reaching out to Americans of all ages, backgrounds, and races, asking them to consider donation.
In its first year alone, the Initiative made a measurable impact, as organ donation increased by 5.6 percent.114 STAT. 3284 But donations are still falling short nationwide. As we observe National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week, I urge all Americans to consider becoming donors. Becoming a prospective organ and tissue donor is an easy, two-step process. Potential donors need only indicate their intention on their driver’s license or donor card, which is available from a number of organizations by mail or on-line, and notify their families and friends of their wish to donate.
I also encourage organ and tissue recipients to tell others how their lives and health have changed because of the generosity of a donor and his or her family: and I join the friends and families of donors in remembering with pride and gratitude all those who gave of themselves so that others might live. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 16 through April 22, 2000, as National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week.
I urge all health care professionals, educators, the media, public and private organizations concerned with organ donation and transplantation, and all Americans to join me in promoting greater awareness and. acceptance of this humanitarian action. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7293 April 14, 2000 National Park Week, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 7293 of April 14, 2000 National Park Week, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation We are fortunate to live in an era when the explosive growth of technology has put at our fingertips an extraordinary array of information.
But even during this technological revolution, one of America’s richest and most fascinating educational resources is also among its oldest: our national park system. Our national parks are living libraries and laboratories, where all Americans can experience the beauty and variety of nature and learn about our Nation’s history and culture. Preserving the rare and unusual as well as the spectacular and beautiful, our national parks provide botanists, wildlife biologists, chemists, and other scientists the opportunity to conduct research into the fragile ecosystems that affect the health of people, plants, and animals around the world.
Geologists and paleontologists find in our national parks the story of our continent, from the Grand Canyon’s geologic formations to the ancient bones resting at Dinosaur National Monument. The national park system also captures America’s more recent history. In the National Historic Sites and along the National Historic Trails maintained by the men and women of the National Park Service, we learn about the lives and achievements of American heroes like Lewis and Clark, Sojourner Truth, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, 114 STAT. 3285Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the Wright Brothers, and Thomas Edison.
From Fort Necessity in Pennsylvania, where a young George Washington saw action in the French and Indian War, to the quiet acres of Gettysburg, where one of the Civil War’s bloodiest battles was fought, to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where the modem civil rights movement reached its emotional peak 35 years ago, Americans can see and touch their history. Today, we have 379 national parks, and each site offers a unique opportunity to experience the wonder of nature, to stand in the footprints of history, to learn about our culture and our society, to study the natural world, and to look toward the future.
As we observe National Park Week, I join all Americans in thanking the men and women of the National Park Service for their dedication in caring for these special places. We are indebted to them for preserving and protecting our natural and cultural heritage, not only for our enjoyment and education today, but also for the benefit of generations to come. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 17 through April 23, 2000, as National Park Week.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7294 April 14, 2000 National Recall Round-Up Day, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 7294 of April 14, 2000 National Recall Round-Up Day, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Every year, the Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC)researches the safety of more than 15,000 types of products used by the American people and secures the recall of defective or potentially dangerous products. Last year alone, the CPSC negotiated almost 300 recalls involving more than 74 million individual consumer products that presented a significant risk to the public. Despite these recalls and additional safety alerts issued by the CPSC, many consumers are still using products that may seriously injure or even kill them or their children, and people are still able to purchase these products at flea markets, secondhand stores, and garage or yard sales. The CPSC estimates that some 29 million Americans will suffer injuries involving consumer products this year, and 22,000 will lose their lives. To reduce these tragic statistics, the CPSC is working to increase public awareness of recalled products and to ensure that such potentially hazardous products are removed from people’s homes. As a vital part of this effort, the CPSC is conducting the fourth annual Recall Round-Up Campaign this year in partnership with the U.S. Postal Service. With the cooperation and active involvement of State and local officials, health and safety organizations, the media, and community 114 STAT. 3286groups, this innovative public safety campaign will sponsor activities in communities across the Nation to publicize the products that have been recalled, to encourage Americans to repair, return, or destroy any recalled products that may still be in their homes or businesses, and to urge them to stay alert and informed about such products when purchasing secondhand items. This year’s Recall Round-Up will focus on a number of previously recalled consumer products that pose a threat to children in particular, including certain infant car seats; swimming pool dive sticks that can cause impalement injuries to young children; television carts that can tip over; tubular metal cribs that can entrap children; and old cribs, hair dryers, and children’s drawstring jackets that fail to meet the most current safety standards. Last year’s campaign succeeded in reaching some 55 million consumers; this year, with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Service, the CPSC hopes to reach millions more—especially parents and child care providers—with these lifesaving messages. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 18, 2000, as National Recall Round-Up Day. I call upon all Americans to observe this day by working with safety, health, and consumer agencies and other appropriate community organizations to organize and conduct local round-ups of dangerous and defective consumer products and to warn parents, child care providers, and the general public about the hazards of using recalled consumer products. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7295 April 15, 2000 Establishment of the Giant Sequoia National Monument By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 7295 of April 15, 2000 Establishment of the Giant Sequoia National Monument By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation The rich and varied landscape of the Giant Sequoia National Monument holds a diverse array of scientific and historic resources. Magnificent groves of towering giant sequoias, the world’s largest trees, are interspersed within a great belt of coniferous forest, jeweled with mountain meadows. Bold granitic domes, spires, and plunging gorges texture the landscape. The area’s elevation climbs from about 2,500 to 9,700 feet over a distance of only a few miles, capturing an extraordinary number of habitats within a relatively small area. This spectrum of ecosystems is home to a diverse array of plants and animals, many of which are rare or endemic to the southern Sierra Nevada. The monument embraces limestone caverns and holds unique paleontological resources documenting tens of thousands of years of ecosystem change. The monument also has many archaeological sites recording Native American occupation and adaptations to this complex landscape, 114 STAT. 3287and historic remnants of early Euroamerican settlement as well as the commercial exploitation of the giant sequoias. The monument provides exemplary opportunities for biologists, geologists, paleontologists, archaeologists, and historians to study these objects. Ancestral forms of giant sequoia were a part of the western North American landscape for millions of years. Giant sequoias are the largest trees ever to have lived, and are among the world’s longest-lived trees, reaching ages of more than 3,200 years or more. Because of this great longevity, giant sequoias hold within their tree rings multi-millennial records of past environmental changes such as climate, fire regimes, and consequent forest response. Only one other North American tree species, the high-elevation bristlecone pine of the desert mountain ranges east of the Sierra Nevada, holds such lengthy and detailed chronologies of past changes and events. Sequoias and their surrounding ecosystems provide a context for understanding ongoing environmental changes. For example, a century of fire suppression has led to an unprecedented failure in sequoia reproduction in otherwise undisturbed groves. Climatic change also has influenced the sequoia groves: their present highly disjunct distribution is at least partly due to generally higher summertime temperatures and prolonged summer droughts in California from about 10,000 to 4,500 years ago. During that period, sequoias were rarer than today. Only following a slight cooling and shortening of summer droughts, about 4,500 years ago, has the sequoia been able to spread and create today’s groves. These giant sequoia groves and the surrounding forest provide an excellent opportunity to understand the consequences of different approaches to forest restoration. These forests need restoration to counteract the effects of a century of fire suppression and logging. Fire suppression has caused forests to become denser in many areas, with increased dominance of shade-tolerant species. Woody debris has accumulated, causing an unprecedented buildup of surface fuels. One of the most immediate consequences of these changes is an increased hazard of wildfires of a severity that was rarely encountered in pre-Euroamerican times. Outstanding opportunities exist for studying the consequences of different approaches to mitigating these conditions and restoring natural forest resilience. The great elevational range of the monument embraces a number of climatic zones, providing habitats for an extraordinary diversity of plant species and communities. The monument is rich in rare plants and is home to more than 200 plant species endemic to the southern Sierra Nevada mountain range, arrayed in plant communities ranging from low-elevation oak woodlands and chaparral to high-elevation subalpine forest. Numerous meadows and streams provide an interconnected web of habitats for moisture-loving species. This spectrum of interconnected vegetation types provides essential habitat for wildlife, ranging from large, charismatic animals to less visible and less familiar forms of life, such as fungi and insects. The mid-elevation forests are dominated by massive conifers arrayed in a complex landscape mosaic, providing one of the last refugia for the Pacific fisher in California. The fisher appears to have been extirpated from the northern Sierra Nevada mountain range. The forests of the monument are also home to great gray owl, American marten, northern gos-114 STAT. 3288hawk, peregrine falcon, spotted owl, and a number of rare amphibians. The giant sequoias themselves are the only known trees large enough to provide nesting cavities for the California condor, which otherwise must nest on cliff faces. In fact, the last pair of condors breeding in the wild was discovered in a giant sequoia that is part of the new monument. The monument’s giant sequoia ecosystem remains available for the return and study of condors. The physiography and geology of the monument have been shaped by millions of years of intensive uplift, erosion, volcanism, and glaciation. The monument is dominated by granitic rocks, most noticeable as domes and spires in areas such as the Needles. The magnificent Kern Canyon forms the eastern boundary of the monument’s southern unit. The canyon follows an ancient fault, forming the only major northsouth river drainage in the Sierra Nevada. Remnants of volcanism are expressed as hot springs and soda springs in some drainages. Particularly in the northern unit of the monument, limestone outcrops, remnants of an ancient seabed, are noted for their caves. Subfossil vegetation entombed within ancient woodrat middensd in these caves has provided the only direct evidence of where giant sequoias grew during the Pleistocene Era, and documents substantial vegetation changes over the last 50,000 or more years. Vertebrate fossils also have been found within the middens. Other paleontological resources are found in meadow sediments, which hold detailed records of the last 10 millennia of changing vegetation, fire regimes, and volcanism in the Sierra Nevada. The multi-millennial, annual- and seasonal-resolution records of past fire regimes held in giant sequoia tree-rings are unique worldwide. During the past 8,000 years, Native American peoples of the Sierra Nevada have lived by hunting and fishing, gathering, and trading with other people throughout the region. Archaeological sites such as lithic scatters, food-processing sites, rock shelters, village sites, petroglyphs, and pictographs are found in the monument. These sites have the potential to shed light on the roles of prehistoric peoples, including the role they played in shaping the ecosystems on which they depended. One of the earliest recorded references to giant sequoias is found in the notes of the Walker Expedition of 1833, which described “trees of the redwood species, incredibly large . . .” The world became aware of giant sequoias when sections of the massive trees were transported east and displayed as curiosities for eastern audiences. Logging of giant sequoias throughout the Sierra Nevada mountain range began in 1856. Logging has continued intermittently to this day on nonfederal lands within the area of the monument. Early entrepreneurs, seeing profit in the gigantic trees, began acquiring lands within the present monument under the Timber and Stone Act in the 1880s. Today our understanding of the history of the Hume Lake and Converse Basin areas of the monument is supported by a treasure trove of historical photographs and other documentation. These records provide a unique and unusually clear picture of more than half a century of logging that resulted in the virtual removal of most forest in some areas of the monument. Outstanding opportunities exist for studying forest resilience to large-scale logging and the consequences of different approaches to forest restoration.114 STAT. 3289 Section 2 of the Act of June 8, 1906 (34 Stat. 225, 16 U.S.C. 431) authorizes the President, in his discretion, to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States to be national monuments, and to reserve as a part thereof parcels of land, the limits of which in all cases, shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected. WHEREAS it appears that it would be in the public interest to reserve such lands as a national monument to be known as the Giant Sequoia National Monument: NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by section 2 of the Act of June 8, 1906 (34 Stat. 225, 16 U.S.C. 431), do proclaim that there are hereby set apart and reserved as the Giant Sequoia National Monument, for the purpose of protecting the objects identified in the above preceding paragraphs, all lands and interests in lands owned or controlled by the United States within the boundaries of the area described on the map entitled “Proposed Giant Sequoia National Monument” attached to and forming a part of this proclamation. The Federal land and interests in land reserved consist of approximately 327,769 acres, which is the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected as identified in the above preceding paragraphs. All Federal lands and interests in lands within the boundaries of this monument are hereby appropriated and withdrawn from entry, location. selection, sale, leasing, or other disposition under the public land laws including, but not limited to, withdrawal from locating, entry, and patent under the mining laws and from disposition under all laws relating to mineral and geothermal leasing, other than by exchange that furthers the protective purposes of the monument. Lands and interests in lands within the boundaries of the monument not owned by the United States shall be reserved as a part of the monument upon acquisition of title thereto by the United States. The establishment of this monument is subject to valid existing rights. Timber sales under contract as of the date of the proclamation and timber sales with a decision notice signed after January 1, 1999, but prior to December 31, 1999, may be completed consistent with the terms of the decision notice and contract. No portion of the monument shall be considered to be suited for timber production, and no part of the monument shall be used in a calculation or provision of a sustained yield of timber from the Sequoia National Forest. Removal of trees, except for personal use fuel wood, from within the monument area may take place only if clearly needed for ecological restoration and maintenance or public safety. The Secretary of Agriculture shall manage the monument, along with the underlying Forest, through the Forest Service, pursuant to applicable legal authorities, to implement the purposes and provisions of this proclamation. The Secretary of Agriculture shall prepare, within 3 years of this date, a management plan for this monument, and shall promulgate such regulations for its management as deemed appropriate. The plan will provide for and encourage continued public and 114 STAT. 3290recreational access and use consistent with the purposes of the monument. Unique scientific and ecological issues are involved in management of giant sequoia groves, including groves located in nearby and adjacent lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service. The Secretary, in consultation with the National Academy of Sciences, shall appoint a Scientific Advisory Board to provide scientific guidance during the development of the initial management plan. Board membership shall represent a range of scientific disciplines pertaining to the objects to be protected, including, but not necessarily limited to. the physical, biological, and social sciences. The Secretary, through the Forest Service, shall, in developing any management plans and any management rules and regulations governing the monument, consult with the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service. The final decision to issue any management plans and any management rules and regulations rests with the Secretary of Agriculture. Management plans or rules and regulations developed by the Secretary of the Interior governing uses within national parks or other national monuments administered by the Secretary of the Interior shall not apply within the Giant Sequoia National Monument. The management plan shall contain a transportation plan for the monument that provides for visitor enjoyment and understanding about the scientific and historic objects in the monument, consistent with their protection. For the purposes of protecting the objects included in the monument, motorized vehicle use will be permitted only on designated roads, and non-motorized mechanized vehicle use will be permitted only on designated roads and trails, except for emergency or authorized administrative purposes or to provide access for persons with disabilities. No new roads or trails will be authorized within the monument except to further the purposes of the monument. Prior to the issuance of the management plan, existing roads and trails may be closed or altered to protect the objects of interest in the monument, and motorized vehicle use will be permitted on trails until but not after December 31, 2000. Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to diminish or enlarge the jurisdiction of the State of California with respect to fish and wildlife management. There is hereby reserved, as of the date of this proclamation and subject to valid existing rights, a quantity of water sufficient to fulfill the purposes for which this monument is established. Nothing in this reservation shall be construed as a relinquishment or reduction of any water use or rights reserved or appropriated by the United States on or before the date of this proclamation. Laws, regulations, and policies pertaining to administration by the Department of Agriculture of grazing permits and timber sales under contract as of the date of this proclamation on National Forest System lands within the boundaries of the monument shall continue to apply to lands within the monument. Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to affect existing special use authorizations: existing uses shall be governed by applicable laws, regulations, and management plans.114 STAT. 3291 Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to revoke any existing withdrawal, reservation, or appropriation; however, the national monument shall be the dominant reservation. Warning is hereby given to all unauthorized persons not to appropriate, injure, destroy, or remove any feature of this monument and not to locate or settle upon any of the lands thereof. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty fourth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7296 April 21, 2000 Bicentennial of the Library of Congress By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation
Connectionstraces to 2
Traces to 2 documents
Citation graph
cites case law
Cites 2Cited by 0 across 0 sources