Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 13, 1994 TAG: 9411180028
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Welfare reform
Even before last week's election, conservative Republicans had begun to reshape the debate. A plan by moderate Republicans fizzled, while more conservative proposals - including simply ending welfare altogether - gained momentum.
But since both Republicans and Democrats consider reform a legislative priority, Congress is more likely to produce a toughened version of the administration's plan. There are many differences:
For example, the Clinton plan seeks to wean young mothers from welfare and slowly move them into minimum-wage jobs. Republicans want to put more recipients - especially those with school-age children - in jobs sooner, even if it means giving them nonpaying, community-service jobs.
Republicans also want stricter rules on child-support payments, denying benefits until the father is located, while Clinton would only require mothers to provide information on the father.
And while Clinton proposes requiring teen mothers to live with an adult in order to get benefits, some Republicans want to deny them benefits and let the states run group homes for them and their children.
Health-care reform
After the collapse of Clinton's plan, attention focused on more modest alternatives. A bipartisan health care reform bill, which went nowhere this year, could provide the starting point for next year's efforts.
A bipartisan bill would limit the ability of insurers to deny coverage to people with pre-existing health problems, allow insured workers to switch jobs without a lapse in coverage, create insurance purchasing co-ops for small businesses, and provide some subsidies for low-income people - especially pregnant women and children - to get health care.
However, the same congressional committees that have to deal with welfare reform also would handle health care, and that means health reform may take a back seat.
Crime
Republicans promise more get-tough measures that would lengthen sentences, speed up death penalties, limit appeals, make it easier for police to hold and question suspects, allow reliable but illegally obtained evidence to be used against suspects, and shift money from crime prevention measures to pay for more cops and more prisons.
Republicans also would try to halt any further regulation of handguns and semi-automatic firearms.
``The prospects of success are high,`` said Eric Sterling, president of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation and a former House aide on crime issues. ``If a bill has money in it for police, prisons and longer sentences, the Republicans will get many cautious, chastened Democrats to go along and Clinton is likely to sign it.''
Many Republican may even try to weaken or undo the new ban on 19 assault-style weapons as well as the Brady bill, which requires a waiting period and background checks before the purchase of handguns.
Term limits
Republicans plan to exploit the popularity of term limits by putting the issue to a vote in the first 100 days of the new Congress. As a result of last Tuesday's elections, 22 states have approved limitations on the tenure of members of the Senate and House.
But there is a good possibility that the Supreme Court will rule that states lack the power to impose restrictions on federal lawmakers. Such a ruling would force advocates of term limits to concentrate on passage of a constitutional amendment.
Paul Jacob, executive director of U.S. Term Limits, said his organization will ``hold Congress' feet to the fire'' for passage of a maximum of six years for House members and 12 years for senators. Incumbent members of Congress have been among the leading opponents of term limits - but they may consider it political suicide to stand in the way.
Abortion, social issues
Despite the defeat of standard-bearer Oliver North, the conservative Christian movement's social agenda is likely to get increased attention. Rep. Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., the next House speaker, has promised to work for public school prayers.
The Republicans' ``Contract with America'' also includes a promise to reinstate the Reagan-era ``gag rule'' that prevented physicians in federally funded clinics from discussing abortion with their patients.
Although anti-abortion candidates scored decisive gains nationwide, legislative efforts to roll back abortion rights are unlikely to succeed in the new Congress, since Republicans don't have enough votes to overcome a presidential veto.
Environment
Until now, conservatives of both parties have failed in attempts to scale back key environmental laws such as the Superfund for cleaning up hazardous waste sites, the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. They're about to try again - and the result could be the same.
John Chafee, a strongly pro-environment Republican from Rhode Island, is set to assume a key Senate chairmanship. And with Senate Democrats able to filibuster legislation and Clinton able to veto radically weaker environmental laws, the rhetoric may get hotter but it's not clear that the logjam will break.
by CNB