CLINTON . . . I CAN DEREGULATE TOO

President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore today described plans to make certain federal regulations less burdensome for businesses. Their proposed regulatory changes for the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency include a six-month grace period for small businesses to correct violations, waiving fines for firms that violate minor rules, and letting pharmaceutical companies change the way they make some drugs without requiring them to get permission from the government. The House has approved deeper cuts in existing regulations and a moratorium on putting new rules into place. TIME Washington correspondent Dick Thompson says the Republican legislation would block these Clinton reforms from taking effect.