PROCLAMATION 7188—APR. 23, 1999 113 STAT. 2075 people of Littleton, Colorado. While it is still too early to determine the specific circumstances that led to this week's tragic events, it is never too soon to teach our children that violence and hatred are wrrong and have no place in our schools or in our society. 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 25 through May 1, 1999, 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 make our homes and communities safer places in which to live and raise our families. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sec - ond day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety- nine, and of the ladependence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-third. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 7188 of April 23, 1999 National Science and Technology Week, 1999 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation The American experience is deeply rooted in the desire to expand our fi-ontiers and increase our knowledge about ourselves and our world. We stand at the end of a century marked by wondrous advances in science and technology—advances that have immeasiurably improved the lives of our citizens. As recently as 100 years ago, space travel, genetic engineering, and telecommimications existed only in the realms of imagination and science fiction. Today, the nascent International Space Station, the nearly complete Human Genome Project, and the flourishing Internet attest to the great strides our civilization and our Nation have made. The scope and speed of our discoveries are truly breathtaking, and each day new applications of science and technology enrich our lives in fields as diverse as medicine, communications, engineering, and the arts. Recognizing the importance of maintaining America's scientific and technological leadership, my Administration is seeking increased funding in areas like biomedical research and in earth and space sciences. My fiscal year 2000 budget also proposes a 28 percent increase in information technology research to finance a new initiative—Information Technology for the Twenty-First Centviry (IT2). This initiative will support long-term information technology research that will lead to fundamental advances in conmiunications and improvements in computing. Dviring National Science and Technology Week, in communities large and small, engineers, scientists, educators, business people, and community leaders will lead observances to help their fellow citizens appreciate the world's scientific and technological wonders. I encoiu*age all Americans—and especially our yoimg people—^to participate in the many educational activities taking place across our Nation. The more
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