Today at National Children's Hospital in DC, Vice President Gore announced an Executive Order to reduce environmental health and safety risks to children:For the first time, Federal agencies will be required to assign high priority to addressing these risks, to coordinate their research priorities on children's health, and to ensure that their standards take into account special risks to children.
SATURDAY: CONNECTING EVERY CLASSROOM TO THE INTERNET BY 2000
In a joint Radio Address on Net Day, the President and Vice President announced new actions to meet their challenge to connect every classroom to the Internet by the year 2000, and to bring the power of the Information Age to our children and our schools:
A Presidential Memorandum directing every federal agency to develop educational Internet services targeted at young people.
Calling on the FCC to approve the "E-rate" -- a special discount rate to help schools and libraries connect to the Internet. The FCC votes on this proposal on May 6.
$11.8 million in new Technology Literacy Grants to help 10 states connect schools and classrooms to the Internet, as part of the President's $2 billion, five-year Technology Literacy Challenge Fund.
Since the first Net Day last year, 250,000 volunteers have wired 50,000 schools to the Internet. Saturday, this effort continued in 40 states, showing the importance of service and voluntary action in advance of the Service Summit President Clinton and former President Bush will convene in Philadelphia this weekend.
Following Saturday's Radio Address, the President and Vice President conducted a video teleconference from a computer in the Oval Office, speaking with children in Connecticut and Net Day volunteers in California.
TUESDAY: EARTH DAY CLEAN-UP NEAR ANACOSTIA RIVER IN DC
On Earth Day this Tuesday, the President travel to North Dakota to survey flood damage and meet with community members. He will also make an important announcement about efforts to protect our environment. The Vice President will join school children to clean up the area surrounding the Anacostia River in the District of Columbia.