[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 45 (Thursday, April 21, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 21, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
             A CALL FOR REPEAL OF UNFUNDED FEDERAL MANDATES

  (Mr. INGLIS of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. INGLIS of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, the crime bill that we are 
debating here today is at best in my estimation a little case of 
schizophrenia and at worst the act of a bunch of professional 
politicians who want to dupe the American people. Let me explain what I 
mean.
  What we are doing in this House by unfunded Federal mandates is 
knocking localities over the back of the head where they cannot see us 
and then we come along as a false Good Samaritan and hand them a few 
grant programs. A little bit like handing them an aspirin for the 
headache they have gotten by us bashing them on the back of the head 
with the unfunded Federal mandates.
  A specific example: Greenville County, one of my counties, over the 
next 6 years will spend $130 million on unfunded Federal mandates. That 
is enough to hire, according to the good mayor of Greenville, Bill 
Workman, 600 police officers, or 600 teachers. Part of that $130 
million is $75 million for a water filtration plant everyone agrees is 
not needed.
  So, Mr. Speaker, we in this House on the one hand knock them over the 
back of the head, giving them the unfunded Federal mandates and then 
give them the little grants as an aspirin. We have got to be more 
creative about how we deal with the crime problem. Repeal unfunded 
Federal mandates and leave money there to fight crime.

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