CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS—APR. 15, 1999 113 STAT. 1995
of a majority of members on the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare.
(14) The Breaux-Thomas recommendiitions provide for new
prescription drug coverage for the neediest beneficiaries within
a plan that substantially improves the solvency of the Medicare
Program without transferring new lOUs to the Federal Hospital
Insurance Trust Fund that must be redeemed later by raising
taxes, cutting benefits, or borrowing more from the public,
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.— It is the sense of the Senate that
the provisions contained in this budget resolution assume the following:
(1) This resolution does not adopt the President's proposals
to reduce Medicare Program spending by $19,400,000,000 over
10 years, nor does this resolution adopt ttie President's proposal
to spend $10,000,000,000 of Medicare Program funds on unrelated programs.
(2) Congress will not transfer to the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund new lOUs that must be redeemed later by
raising taxes on American workers, cutting benefits, or borrowing more from the public.
(3) Congress should work in a bipartisan fashion to extend
the solvency of the Medicare Program and to ensure that benefits under that program will be availalDle to beneficiaries in
the future.
(4) The American public will be v^ell and fairly served
in this undertaking if the Medicare Projjram reform proposals
are considered within a framework that is bsised on the following five key principles offered in testimony to the Senate
Committee on Finance by the Comptrolleir General of the United
States:
(A) Affordability.
(B) Equity.
(C) Adequacy.
(D) Feasibility.
(E) Public acceptance.
(5) The recommendations by Senator Breaux and Congressman Thomas provide for new prescrip1:ion drug coverage for
the neediest beneficiaries within a plan that substantially
improves the solvency of the Medicare Program without
transferring to the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund
new lOUs that must be redeemed later by raising taxes, cutting
benefits, or borrowing more from the public.
(6) Congress should move expeditiously to consider the
bipartisan recommendations of the Chsdrmen of the National
Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare.
(7) Congress should continue to work with the President
as he develops and presents his plan to fix the problems of
the Medicare Program.
SEC. 323. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON EDUCATION.
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It is the sense of the Senate that—
(1) the levels in this concurrent resolution assume that—
(A) increased Federal funding for elementary and
secondary education should be directed to States and local
school districts;
(B) the Individusds with Disabilities Education Act (20
U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) should be fully funded at the originally
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